Happy German Chocolate Cake Day & Early Father’s Day

Written by Liz -

My dad’s favorite cake has always been German chocolate cake. Early in this cake’s life, that meant using Samuel German’s baking chocolate to make a light-bodied chocolate layer cake, then adding coconut, caramel and pecan icing or glaze in between the layers and on top. You can see why he liked it so much!

When I was young, this was not my favorite cake to eat (no nuts or coconut for this girl, thank you) and it wasn’t the easiest cake to make either. My dad sometimes received a leaning tower of cake mess, other times a whole new version of the cake without layers or coconut or nuts after misreading the salt measurement — I accidentally switched the salt and sugar amounts — and dumping the entire first attempt into the creek behind our house. And for this, he should be thankful.

Today, I join my dad in loving German chocolate cake. And even though I now know how to make chocolate layer cakes (thanks to you Chris!) I really love to make these German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream Sundaes instead. It’s easy and satisfying and I don’t even have to turn on my oven! The ice cream even has little bites of chocolate cake in it (and if you can’t find this summertime flavor, any chocolate ice cream with brownie chunks will do). The flavor takes me right back to countless Father’s Days and birthdays for my dad, which I can now make taste richer and creamier.

Here’s to you dad!

German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream Sundaes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 6 scoops DREYER’S or EDY’S GRAND German Chocolate Cake Spectacular Ice Cream
• 1/3 cup whipped cream (optional)
• 6 maraschino cherries (optional)

Directions:

COMBINE evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolk and butter in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thickened, as shown above.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract, pecans and coconut. Pour into a bowl; cool to room temperature.

PLACE scoop of ice cream into each of 6 bowls; drizzle with topping. Garnish with whipped cream and cherries, if desired as shown above. Serve immediately.

Related German chocolate recipes:

Rich & Creamy German Hot Chocolate	German Chocolate Brownies

Remaking a Classic 1950s Dessert: Baked Alaska Cups

Written by Liz - 

If you’re like me, you have nostalgic taste buds and you remember Baked Alaska being a fancy dessert your mom only made for special dinner parties. It went very well with an Old Fashioned cocktail, Beef Wellington and brightly colored polyester pantsuits. She probably learned how to make this dessert from her mom, who impressed her 1950s dinner guests even more than her daughter did.

This dessert is a version of ice cream cake that’s finished by flash-baking it in a very hot oven to brown the outside, keeping the inside frozen. It originated in Switzerland & France, then migrated to America with several modifications, like replacing the outer pastry crust with whipped egg-whites with sugar, otherwise known as meringue. The dessert picked up its current name by a pastry chef in New York, who made it famous during the time the U.S. acquired the Alaska territory.

Our Baked Alaska Cups recipe uses brownies for the cake portion, strawberry ice cream, then classic meringue in individual serving cups — canning jars work very well for this! And it’s easier than you think. You can make them ahead of time, then store the cups in the freezer until dessert time. Just pop them in a 500-degree oven for 2 minutes and your guests can enjoy their own retro-chic treat. The combination of frozen ice cream and brownie with hot meringue is sublime.

Baked Alaska Cups

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 box (18.3 ounces) brownie mix or your favorite brownie recipe
• 3 cups DREYER’S or EDY’S GRAND Real Strawberry Ice Cream, slightly softened
• 3/4 cup pasteurized egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

PLACE six 8-ounce custard cups on baking sheet; set aside.

SPRAY 11 x 7-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; line pan with foil, allowing foil to hang over edges of pan. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

PREPARE brownie mix (or your favorite brownie recipe) according to package directions; spread in prepared pan. Bake according to package directions. Cool completely in pan; lift brownie from pan using foil overhang. Cut into six rounds with a 3-inch diameter cookie or biscuit cutter. (If you’re using canning jars, you can use the jar to cut the brownies to correct size: turn jar upside down, press into brownies, turn back over and press brownie down with spoon, as shown above).

PLACE each brownie round in the bottom of the custard cups. Top with ½ cup of slightly softened ice cream and smooth to sides of cup, as shown above. Place on baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

BEAT egg whites in an electric mixer with whisk attachment on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar; continue to beat until soft peaks form, as shown above. Slowly add sugar and vanilla; continue beating until glossy peaks form.

REMOVE cups from freezer. Spoon the meringue evenly over the top of each cup (roughly ½-3/4 cup each), covering the top completely and swirling the meringue into a high dome, as shown above.

PREHEAT oven to 500° F.

BAKE for 2 minutes or until meringue is browned, as shown above. Serve immediately.

More ice cream pie recipes:

Caramel Coconut Cookie Ice Cream Pie	Caramel Macchiato Ice Cream Pie

Easter Sweets: Butterfinger Panna Cotta with Easter Egg Nests

Written by Liz -

Panna Cotta, or Italian ”cooked cream,” is an eggless custard that is silky-smooth and so easy to make. In fact, David Lebovitz writes that if it takes you more than 5 minutes to put it together, you’re doing something wrong. If you haven’t yet tried to make custard, crème brulée or flan, panna cotta is the recipe to try first.

Our easy version for Easter, Butterfinger Panna Cotta Nests, uses items you already have in your pantry, since it replaces the cream with evaporated milk. That also lowers the fat and increases the nutrients! This dish has to be made in advance so it can set in the refrigerator, leaving you free on the day of the meal to entertain or cook other dishes. Putting the ingredients together and warming them in a pan are a snap, and the shredded coconut egg nests on top are perfect for a pretty Easter table.

Panna cotta is also an extremely versatile recipe. You can experiment and make your own version by adding lemon or orange zest, almond extract or even spices like saffron, pepper or rosemary. Here are some panna cotta recipes we love using chocolate and amaretto, as well as pumpkin spice and chocolate pistachio.

Happy Easter!

Butterfinger Panna Cotta Nests

Ingredients for 4 servings:

PANNA COTTA

• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 envelope (7 grams) unflavored gelatin
• 1 can (12 fluid ounces) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup crushed NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGER BITES Candy

NESTS

• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 4 drops green liquid food coloring
• 2 drops yellow liquid food coloring
• NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGER NestEggs

Directions:

FOR PANNA COTTA:
GREASE four 6-ounce or six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups.

PLACE water in a small bowl; add gelatin and let stand to soften.

PLACE evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat. Add gelatin mixture; stir gently to dissolve gelatin.

POUR into prepared ramekins; sprinkle with crushed Butterfinger.

REFRIGERATE for 2 hours or until panna cottas are firm.

FOR NESTS:
PLACE coconut in a resealable bag. Add green and yellow food coloring; seal bag and shake to thoroughly mix. If necessary, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water to help color mix.

TOP panna cottas with coconut “grass”; top with 1 to 2 unwrapped Nestlé NestEggs.

Links:

• Butterfinger Panna Cotta Nests
• Chocolate Amaretto Panna Cotta
• Get a Carnation coupon

More panna cotta recipes:

Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta with Pistachio Sauce

Pumpkin Spice Panna Cotta

Dark Chocolate Pinspiration!

Written by Jenny -

If you have been looking for some new dark chocolate recipes to prepare, have we got some to share… ten decadent, super indulgent Nestlé® Toll House® Dark Chocolate Morsel recipes! We handpicked 10 bloggers to come up with tantalizing dark chocolate recipes with photos to match and did they deliver. Talk about amazing, creative and delicious recipes. Those trying them out in the kitchen had a hard time putting their forks and spoons down (present company included)! We sampled cookies, cupcakes, truffles, ice cream, panna cotta, pots du crème, bread pudding, ice cream cake. It was a tough job but glad we got to do it! All the recipes showcased our dark chocolate morsels very well.

Now it’s time for you to be the judge in this blogger competition. You can vote for any recipe on the Nestlé® Toll House® Dark Chocolate Pinspirations Board by “liking” them or repining from the board. Also, you may pin them to as many of your Pinterest boards as you would like. The blogger with the most likes and pins wins $5,000.

Here are the ten blogger entries… drum roll please!

1. Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Cookies from Christina G. of dessertfortwo.com

2. Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies from Sally M. of Sally’s Baking Addiction

3. Dark Chocolate Mint Cupcakes from Erin S. of Dinners Dishes and Desserts

4. Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Panna Cotta from Josie T. of Daydreamer Desserts

5. Delicious Dark Chocolate Java Infused Cupcakes from Robin C. of Type-A Baker

6. Dark Chocolate Amaretto Bread Pudding with Raspberry Cream Sauce from Anna H. of My Feelings Taste Like Cupcakes

7. Raspberry Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Brownie Chunks from Annalise S. of Completely Delicious

8. Dark Chocolate, Caramel, and Pretzel Crunch Ice Cream Cake from Lindsay S. of Life & Kitchen

9. Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pots de Crème from Megan G. of What Megan’s Making

10. Dark Chocolate Toffee Truffles from Jamie L. of My Baking Addiction

I hope you are as impressed with these photos as I was. Which one will be your favorite or will they all be? The last day to vote is 3/31, so get pinspired!

Dark chocolate recipes from verybestbaking.com:

Dark Chocolate Ganache Brownie Cakes	Dark Chocolate Cherry Fudge

Chocolate-Covered February: Salted Dulce de Leche Chocolate Tart

Written by Chris -

When I think of February, I think CHOCOLATE. When I think of Chocolate, I think LOVE. A little backwards? Perhaps. Chocolate, in small doses, makes me happy. I know there’s all sorts of psychology associated with chocolate. Chocolate contains serotonin, which is responsible for feelings of well-being and contentment, as well as curbing anxiety and depression. I just love the flavor. It’s that simple.

Chocolate is a perfect match for caramel, so today I am sharing a new recipe for a Salted Dulce de Leche Chocolate Tart. One look at this beautiful tart and you may be think it’s difficult to make. Not true. I’ve taken a shortcut here. I am using NESTLÉ LA LECHERA Dulce de Leche caramel – this is sweetened condensed milk that has already been caramelized. So all you need to do is warm it up. You could even simplify this recipe further by using a sheet of puff pastry or a premade pie shell for the crust in place of the homemade version. I personally love this homemade crust though and quite honestly, it’s worth the extra time.

Here’s the recipe…

Salted Dulce de Leche Chocolate Tart

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 can (13.4 ounces) NESTLÉ LA LECHERA Dulce de Leche
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup (6 ounces) NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate or Dark Chocolate Morsels
• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

WHISK together egg yolks, 1 tablespoon cream and vanilla extract in small bowl. Place flour, powdered sugar and salt in food processor; pulse one or two times. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With processor running, add yolk mixture and process until mixture forms a ball. Shape into a disk and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

UNWRAP and roll the dough between 2 lightly floured large sheets of parchment or wax paper to a12-inch round. Transfer the dough into a 9-inch tart pan. Press into bottom and up side, trimming off excess. Line the shell with a piece of aluminum foil; fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice.

BAKE for 30 minutes or until pastry is set and the edges are golden. Carefully remove the foil and weights. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

SPOON dulce de leche into microwave-safe bowl. Heat for a few seconds at a time just until warm; stir. Carefully spoon dulce de leche into tart shell, spreading evenly.

PLACE morsels in medium bowl. Heat 1/2 cup cream in a small saucepan until bubbles appear around the edge (alternately, heat in medium, microwave-safe bowl until hot). Remove from heat; pour over morsels. Let stand for 5 minutes or until melted. Whisk until smooth. Pour over dulce de leche; spread with offset spatula. Dust with a little flaky sea salt. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Remove side of tart pan and transfer the tart to a serving plate. Cut into wedges.

Check out that flaky crust and those beautiful layers! If you don’t finish the tart, simply cover it tightly and store it in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Happy Chocolate-Covered February to you!

Chris

Links:

• Salted Dulce de Leche Chocolate Tart
• NESTLÉ LA LECHERA Dulce de Leche
• NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE

Hidden Treasure Chocolate Souffles	Simply Elegant Chocolate Mousse Tart

Gluten Free Pie Crust: Raspberry Chocolate Heart Tart Recipe

Written by Liz -

Valentine’s Day is coming, and I love Valentine’s Day — even when I have no Valentine. This year, I have a houseful of friends who deserve some love-in-a-baked-form from me. This raspberry tart, with gluten free pie crust, fits the occasion perfectly!

I’ve been researching and cooking healthier foods for a long time, and lately have been reading more about an anti-inflammatory diet. So, I decided to make the pie crust from scratch, using quinoa flour. This flour has less carbohydrates and more protein than wheat flour, plus tons of vitamins and minerals (bonus for iron) and is gluten free.

Most quinoa-flour bakers recommend using only 25% gluten free flour in breads and baked goods, but since this was going to be a press pie crust (who wants to roll out dough when you can press it into cute heart-shaped pans?) I used 100% quinoa flour. And I wanted to see if a gluten free pie crust would work with this chocolate raspberry tart.

Using an easy, basic pie crust recipe from Simply Recipes, I cut the recipe in half since this is a tart (it only needs 1 crust, not 2). After forming the dough into a ball, instead of refrigerating, I divided it into 4 equal parts and simply pressed into 4 small heart pans (these happen to be disposable paper pans). The rest of the tart is fast and easy and oh so pretty.

It came out delicious! The gluten free pie crust with quinoa flour was the perfect base for the sweet rich chocolate and red tart berries. And I got to give away some love.

Raspberry Chocolate Heart Tart (gluten free pie crust optional)

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on package (or use gluten free pie crust directions above)
• 1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 2/3 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups raspberries, rinsed and dried
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 425° F.

PLACE pastry circle with plastic removed on lightly floured surface; roll out slightly. Trim small amount of pastry away to form heart shape. Place heart on ungreased baking sheet. Turn edges under 1/2 inch; flute. Prick pastry with tines of fork.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheet on wire rack.

MICROWAVE morsels and sweetened condensed milk in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; STIR. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-second intervals, stirring just until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Spread over crust. Refrigerate for a few minutes or until chocolate is set.

ARRANGE raspberries over chocolate; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

NOTE: Use remaining CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk to top ice cream or use as a dip for fruit.

More hearts:

Valentine Chocolate Filled Hearts	Cocoa-Kissed Red Velvet Pancakes