Cherry Ripe Cake

This is a recipe I have had tucked away for awhile.  I do like chocolate covered cherries and this is about as close as you can get to finding all that flavor in the form of a cake.

Between the big flavor and the wonderful texture, this is one is not easily forgotten about.  The great texture can be attributed to the coconut milk and vegetable oil. There is no butter in the cake.  Even a small slice can satisfy, with a hefty amount of cocoa laced with with cherry brandy, chunks of glace cherries and sweet coconut.  These same flavors are part of the assembly as well. Chocolate ganache covers the top and sides of cake while the other flavors make up a buttercream filling that sandwich the two layers together.

There are a lot of people employed where I work and it is good that there was more than enough cake for our department.  There were some intent stares from not in the department when this cake was being sliced so I could not help to offer them a piece!

Cherry Ripe Cake
adapted from Ledelicieux 

Ingredients/Cake
1 3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cherry brandy
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
200 grams or about 1 cup chopped glace cherries

Ingredients/Buttercream Filling
125 grams or about 1/2 cup butter
2 tsp cherry brandy
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
200 grams or about 1 cup chopped glace cherries
red food coloring (optional)

Ingredients /Chocolate Ganache
1 tbs cherry brandy
300 grams or about 1 3/4 cups chopped chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

Additional topping (optional)
1 cherry ripe chocolate bar, chopped
fresh cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare two 8" round cake pans by buttering the interior and lining the bottom with parchment paper and buttering the face up side of the parchment..

For the cake, place the eggs in a small bowl and whisk until whites are completely blended with yolks. Then stir in the cherry brandy, oil, vanilla extract and coconut milk. Set mixture aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then mix in the sugar.  Turn the mixer on low speed and let run while slowly adding the wet mixture in 1/4 cup increments, scraping down the sides of bowl between each addition.  Lastly, add the coconut and the glace cherries, all while continuing to let the mixer run on low speed. 

Once all is evenly distributed into the batter, pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans.   Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean.  Baking time should range between 35 to 40 minutes. The cakes should cool in the pans for 30 minutes and then transferred to a rack to finish cooling.

Start making the filling by beating the butter until light and smooth.  Then sift the powdered sugar into the same bowl and beat until mixture is fluffy and light.  If using the food coloring, add it and beat until icing has an even color with no streaks.  Lastly, stir in the cherry brandy and fold in the glace cherries and coconut. 

Remove the parchment from the cake. Place one cake layer on a cake stand. Place parchment or wax paper all around the split between the cake and the plate.  Then smooth the filling over the the top of one of the cake layers and stack the other cake layer on top. 

Place the chocolate and cream into a small saucepan over low heat.  Once it is all melted and smooth, stir in the cherry brandy.   Let ganache cool for about 5 minutes  Pour ganache over the center of the cake, letting it fan outward and drip down sides of the cake.  Use a spatula to even out the ganache on the top and sides of the cake.  Once the ganache is set, remove the wax paper from between the cake plate and cake.

To decorate further, recipe suggests to use fresh cherries on top or chopped cherry ripe chocolate bars.
                                   **LAST YEAR: Ginny Bee Bkfst Cake**

Cherry Surprise Cupcakes-Delicious Recall #2

If you have been following my blog, you know that I do like cherries and chocolate.  When I came across this recipe several years ago, I saved it but have never made it until now.  I guess that is one of the reasons why I came up with this series.

These particular cupcakes are really rich in flavor.  The cake part is made with cherry brandy, cocoa and chocolate chips.  Also, they are doused with chocolate liqueur.  These elements really do make for a tasty combo.  In fact, the cake part was so delicious on its own, I opted not to fill these with the cherry and whipped cream.  I just topped them with a butter cream frosting that has cherry juice and brandy in it. I have included the instructions for the filling below as in the original recipe.

This recipe hails from a blog called The Cheeky Kitchen hosted by Brooke.  This was a recipe that came from a baking challenge between her and a friend that owns a cupcake shop.   This recipe makes about 15 cupcakes.  Make sure you read this whole recipe before proceeding, especially the tips at the end.

Cherry Surprise Cupcakes
adapted from The Cheeky Kitchen

Ingredients/Cake
1 tsp cherry brandy
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup self rising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate liqueur
1/2 semi sweet chocolate chips

Ingredients/Filling
2 cups pitted cherries
1/4 cup cherry brandy
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs vanilla extract

Ingredients/Cherry Buttercream
3 tbs and 1 tsp reserved cherry juice
1/4 tsp cherry extract (optional)
1/2 cup butter
2 tbs vegetable shortening
5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
15-18 whole cherries with stems (optional)

If you are going to fill the cupcakes, the prep work will need to be done first.  Fill a bowl with the cherries and pour in the brandy.  Cover and place in fridge until all cupcakes have been baked.

To make the cake part of the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the upper edge of the cupcake cavities and fill with paper liners.

Sift together the cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.  In another bowl cream together both sugars and butter.  Beat in the egg, cherry brandy and vanilla extract.

Fold in 1/2 of the sifted ingredients into the batter.  Then add the milk, stirring until blended.  Fold in the last of the sifted ingredients until no dry streaks remain.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each lined cavity about 2/3 full.  You should have about 15 cupcakes.  Put pans in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Remove pans and poke holes in the top of the cupcakes.  Then brush chocolate liqueur over the top.  Let set in pans for an additional 10 minutes and then transfer to rack to cool.

While they are cooling, the filling can be made.  Take out the bowl of cherries with brandy. Reserve the juice in a separate bowl and chop the cherries into 1/4 inch pieces and place back in fridge.

In another bowl, whisk the cream until it becomes a little bit thicker than its original state.  Add the sugar and the extract, then beat until the cream reaches a soft peak stage.  Take the chopped cherries out of fridge and fold into whipped cream.  Cover and refrigerate.

Once the cupcakes are cool, take and core out a center piece about 1/2  to 3/4 inch wide and 1 1/2 inch deep.  Then fill the hole with the whipped cream mixture.

For the buttercream, beat butter and vegetable shortening together until smooth.  Then add one cup of powdered sugar, mixing at medium speed.  In one cup increments add the sugar and beat after each addition.  Lastly, add the cherry juice, cherry extract (optional) and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy.

Fill piping bag with tip and decorate to your preference.  You can place a whole cherry on top or place a chocolate dipped cherry on top, if you desire.

Tips and Notes:
1. If you do not do the filling, the reserved juice will not be available. Maraschino juice can be used in its place with the cherry extract for your buttercream frosting..
2. These cupcakes are very delicate because of the liqueur brushed on top.  Based on that it is important that you do not overfill and that the top edges of your muffin cavities are well greased.  Original instructions said fill cavities 3/4 full, which was too much due to the rise factor.
3. I found the buttercream to be too thick.  You can add more cherry or maraschino juice until you reach the right consistency.
4. Taste your frosting before adding the cherry extract, to make sure you want to add any more flavor.  The longer the cherries sit in the kirsch, the stronger the flavor of the juice.
                         **LAST YEAR: Italian Dippers**

Cupids Frozen Potion

You know, I thought that chocolate covered cherries were the favorite around Valentines.  However, since I had a hard time finding them, I am wondering if my thoughts are a little "old school"!  Anyhow, I consider them one of my favorites, so I went ahead and made this frozen treat.  Not only does it have chocolate covered cherries, the ice cream is laden with cherry brandy.   Also, I did not think that cupids potion would not look right with a plain cone, so I melted a king size Nestle crunch bar and dipped it!

I did start off with some props for this picture, but it did not come together as hoped. However, I have not given up, so they are bound to show up in another post.  This goes back to that picture in your mind vs actual-some day those two will come together identically, but not today.  Anyhow, the recipe is below and it is for 4 servings.

Cupids Frozen Potion
by flourtrader

Ingredients
2 egg yolks (room temp)
1 cup of whipping cream
1/3 cup of sugar
5 or more chocolate covered cherries
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs cherry brandy (I used Kirsch)
2 tbs water
pinch of salt
4 ice cream cones
2 king size Nestle crunch bars

Place your chocolate covered cherries in the freezer for about 2 hours.  You want them easy enough to chop but not runny.  Remove candies and chop.  Place in a small bowl, cover and put back in freezer.

Take your whipping cream and put in the freezer also for about 15 minutes or long enough to form an icy edge.  Remove from freezer and beat at low speed for 30 seconds.  Then cover and place in fridge.

In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, egg yolks, water and vanilla extract.  Place bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Beat the mixture as it cooks, scraping down sides occasionally. I used a hand mixer to beat. The mixture should thicken and become very pale.

Then take mixing bowl away from heat and beat until the mixture cools.  For this process I used my big Kitchenaid mixer.   Once cool, stir in about 1/3 of the whipping cream until blended.  Then fold in the rest of the whipped cream and brandy.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and follow manufacturers instructions.  Empty ice cream into a container, cover and let freeze for 2 hours.  Then fold in the chocolate covered cherries, making sure they are evenly distributed.  Cover and return to freezer until desired consistency is met.  I froze mine overnight.

For the chocolate cones, chop the candy bars and melt in a double boiler.  Then  place a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet.  Also, clear off a place in the fridge for the sheet.  Once the candy bars are melted, dip and scoop up coating with the cone, coating the top edge.  Also make sure that you are not filling the inside.  Place upside down on wax paper and place in fridge for about 10 minutes.  To get a thick coating, you may have to dip the cones more than once. 
                           **LAST YEAR:Chocolate Cherry Fruitcake**