Red Velvet Hot Cocoa with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

It seems like recently, my diet has consisted wholly of hot chocolate, soups and my any type of salad topped with my favorite new green apple vinaigrette (recipe soon)! Seriously though, I've been sipping on hot chocolate or some kind of homemade latte every other day, if not every day. This is probably because of my innate need for all things holiday to consume me. 

I'm the kind of girl who loves her winter weather. Although, you and I might have awful different ideas about what 'winter weather' means. As a born and raised Southern California girl, winter to me means: intermittent rains, 2 -3 layers of clothing tops, no sight of snow whatsoever and teeth chattering at the 70 degree mark. I know, I know, it's not much of a winter but it's what we've got!

Anyways, along with Christmas music, this red velvet hot chocolate is all I need to keep me warm on these cold Californian nights. The thing that makes this hot chocolate "red velvet" is merely coloring but the thought is cheerful in itself! You'd be surprised by how a little bit of color can make a cup of hot cocoa seem all the more merrier. The addition of cream cheese frosting though... purely decadent and the perfect pairing. I was always a firm believer that real red velvet deserves cream cheese frosting and not that vanilla buttercream nonsense. 

Red Velvet Hot Cocoa with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

Yields: 4 servings

Original recipe here.

4 cups whole milk

1 dash water

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. red food coloring

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 - 4 tbsn. whipped cream cheese, room temperature

In a stand mixer, combine the heavy cream and sugar. Whip on medium speed with the whisk attachment for 2 - 3 minutes. Just before peaks form, add the cream cheese and whisk for another 2 minutes. Taste and add more cream cheese to taste. Be careful not to over whip though, or else you'll have butter! In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat. Add a splash of water and the chocolate chips, constantly stirring gently. When almost melted, add the red food coloring and stir. When the chocolate chips are thoroughly melted, pour the hot chocolate into mugs and top with the whipped cream.

Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crunch and Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream

Fall is synonymous with pumpkin to me. The instant the weather starts to turn and the leaves start to change their color, the smell of pumpkin fills the air. When I was little, I swore to myself that I hated cheesecake and pumpkin pie. In my mind I never really knew why, but my sister told me she hated them, so I just knew I had to hate them too. Oh, how wrong I was! When I finally tried them for myself, I figured out that not only did I not-not like them, I loved them!

Last year was pretty ridiculous with the pumpkin shortage, so this year I made damn sure to stock up on all the pumpkin I would need and then some. I decided to try Bobby Flay's winning pumpkin pie from Throwdown! It boasts an untraditional graham cracker crust, an intensely flavored and smooth filling, all topped with boozy whipped cream and crispy oat crunchies to boot! The filling is incredibly dense (in a great way) and as smooth as can be - thanks to the straining. The oat crunchies provided a nice contrast in texture and I loved the maple scent of the whipped cream. 

Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crunch and Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream

Yields: 2 8" Pies

Original recipe here.

For the cinnamon crunch:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup quick cooking, rolled oats

1/4 cup light muscavado sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 1/2 tbsn. unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

For the graham cracker crust:

2 cups graham crackers

8 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg, whisked (for brushing crust)

For the pumpkin filling:

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

3/4 cups dark muscavado sugar

2 tbsn. molasses

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped and reserved (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract)

3 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

For the bourbon-maple whipped cream:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream, cold

1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped and reserved (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract)

2 tbsn. grade B maple syrup

1 - 2 tbsn. bourbon (to your taste)

To make the cinnamon crunch, preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until combined. Pour the mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and pat it into a rectangle, about 4x6 inches. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Break up into small pieces and store in an airtight container. 

To make the crust, keep the oven temperature at 350 F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter and cinnamon to a medium bowl and mix until combined. It should feel like wet sand and just come together. Spread the mixture evenly into a 10-inch pie tin and use your fingertips or the flat bottom of a glass to firmly press the mixture over the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Brush with the whisked egg. Put the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the crust is light brown and firm to the touch, about 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the filling, reduce the oven temperature to 300 F. Whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugars and molasses in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the pumpkin puree, spices, salt, cream, milk and vanilla seeds and continue to whisk to combine. Strain the mixture through a coarse strainer into a bowl (this will make it velvety smooth). Whisk in the butter. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and pour the strained mixture into the pre-baked shell. Bake until almost set, about 1 hour (the edges will be set and the center will be jiggly slightly when shaken). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, if preferred. 

For the bourbon whipped cream, combine the cream, vanilla seeds, syrup and bourbon in a large chilled bowl and whip until soft peaks form. To serve, cut the pie into slices and serve each slice with a large dollop of whipped cream and some of the cinnamon crunch.

I had some leftover filling, so I made some extra mini tarts!

Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie

There's nothing more summery than a pie! Well, that's what I think at least. A nice cool slice of pie topped with mounds of fluffy whipped cream or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, doesn't the thought of it sound dreamy? Dream no longer folks. Make this pie and the reality is yours!

This is quite possibly one of the easiest, but most delicious, pies I have ever made. You could even do without making your own crust and buy a pre-made crust (don't worry, I won't tell). What I love about this pie is that only 1/4 of the berries are cooked while the rest are folded in later, untouched and impossibly fresh. This pie isn't too sweet, and bursts in your mouth with every bite. It really is spectacular! Oh, and the filling to this pie stands really well! After letting the pie rest, the pie slices soooo nicely and doesn't goop and gush all over the place, which is nice for a change!

I didn't have enough blueberries on hand so I used a mixture of blueberries and blackberries, and by gosh was it fantastic! This was a new pie crust recipe I tried, which though I did like, I prefer the one I used here better. This pie crust was not as flaky and more cookie-ish. So depending on your preference, you can use either one.

Had to have that gratuitous innards shot!

Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie

Yields: 1 9-inch pie, about 6 servings

Original pie recipe here.

Original pie

crust recipe here.

For the crust:

1 1/8 cup flour

1 tbsn. sugar

1/8 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 - 4 tbsn. water

For the pie:

4 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup + 2 tbsn. water, divided

2 tbsn. cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups whipped cream, optional

To make the pie crust, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal or large peas. Add 3 tbsn. of water and pulse until the dough begins to form a ball; you may need to add more water if dry. Turn out into a lightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Divide the dough in half and gently pat each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Roll out the crust, large enough to fit your pie tin. Transfer to the pie tin, cutting off the excess and crimping the edges. Let chill in the refrigerator before baking for 15 - 30 minutes to prevent shrinking. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the pie shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes covered, then remove the pie weights and liner and bake until lightly golden, about 10 - 15 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

To make the filling, measure out 1 cup of blueberries, choosing the softest ones. Place them in a medium saucepan with the 1/2 cup of water. Cover and bring them to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 2 tbsn. water, set it aside. When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 - 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries. Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain juicy but will not flow out of the crust. Just before serving, if desired, pipe or spread the whipped cream around the sides of the pie, leaving the center unadorned.

Blueberry dreams...

La Palette's (Straw)berry Tart

It's summer here where I live more than ever - the sun is beating down and the second I step outside of my oh-so-nice-and-cool-house is the second I hiss like a vampire and begin to melt into a pile of goop. Sooooooo not pretty. But do you know what is pretty? This tart!

It's possibly the epitome of summer desserts and perfect because it doesn't require much slaving over hot stoves or burning ovens. It's delightfully simple. A tart dough that practically makes itself in the food processor and doesn't require rolling! Just a simple pat, pat, pat into the tart shell and poof, that's it.

Taste wise, this tart is equally as stunning. The tart dough is lightly sweetened and buttery, sort of like a shortbread. The jam adds a sticky sweetness that's always desired and of course the fresh fruit is the real stunner. I used a combination of berries because I just happened to have them, but any combination will do. I added a little lemon cream for an extra dimension, which personifies summer even more so!

La Palette's (Straw)berry Tart

Yields: 1 9-inch tart, about 6 - 8 servings

Adapted from here.

best quality strawberry jam, or any berry jam you have on hand

1 quart ripe strawberries, trimmed and halved if large (I used mixed berries)

For the sweet tart dough:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

9 tbsn. very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

For the lemon cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup lemon curd, store-bought or home-made

To make the tart dough, combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in, with varying pieces in size. Stir the egg yolk to break up and add it to the food processor, a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the whole yolk is in, process in long pulses until the dough begins to clump together. Turn the dough out onto a board and knead it enough to incorporate any flour that didn't get mixed in. Press the dough into a well-buttered 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit it tightly across the crust, buttered side down. Bakke for25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 8 - 10 minutes, or until the crust is evenly browned and firm to the touch. Let crust cool completely.

To make the lemon cream, whip the heavy cream using a hand mixer or a stand mixer until peaks form. Do not over beat or else it will turn into butter. Use a spatula to fold in the lemon curd and vanilla until no streaks appear, refrigerate until ready to use. To assemble the tart, spread a thin layer of jam on the crust. If your strawberries are not sweet enough, you can toss them in a little sugar, to taste, otherwise assemble them on top of the jam. The tart is best when eaten immediately after being assemble. Enjoy with lemon cream!

LOOK at that cross-section! Buttery tart shell, ooey-gooey jam, fresh fruit & refreshing lemon cream :)

Easy Layer Cake with Custard & Strawberries

There are many reasons why I only make cupcakes. First of all, they are undeniable cute. Second of all, they're individually portioned which make them nice and simple. But mostly, they are much easier to make undeniable cute then cakes are. I've struggled with making layered cakes ever since I can remember! Frosting them just takes a certain 'je ne sais qois.'

When my family asked me to make a cake for my Grandpa's 80th birthday, I knew I was in for some trouble. Then, I found this recipe for a layer cake that was unbelievably stunning yet loaded with tricks to help make a beautiful cake. Covering the sides in cookies and topping the cake with chocolate covered strawberries made for a VERY impressive cake that had all of its flaws hidden; score!

Since the recipe did require lots of individual components, I decided to simplify the recipe for sake of time and stress. I used a boxed mix, blasphemy I know, but it did the job fabulously and rather than making a pastry cream, I used my tried and true custard recipe that I've used a numerous amount of times (see here, here, here, here, here). Of course, making all of these components did take some time, but the results were everything I could have imagined and more.

Everyone at the party, including myself, loved this cake! It was super moist and full of yummy flavors. But I might be biased because I just simply love, love, love this custard. The strawberry filling provided the perfect amount of fruity freshness and zing that the cake needed. Also, I loved how instead of using a traditional buttercream frosting, this cake used whipped cream instead. The whipped cream was the perfect accompaniment to the cake, as other frostings would have been much too sweet. Although, since it did use whipped cream, this cake is a bit more fragile than others and needs to be refrigerated and eaten as soon as possible. Anyways, I'd say this cake was a HUGE success and my family has already asked for more!

Easy Layer Cake with Custard & Strawberries

Yields: One 2 or 3 layer cake, depending on how thin your layers are

Adapted from here.

1 box of Betty Crocker French Vanilla 'Super Moist' Cake

Pirouette Rolled Wafers, in Chocolate and Vanilla (for decoration)

Preheat the oven to 350 F, 325 F if using a dark or nonstick pan. Prepare the batter according to the directions. Grease 2 or 3 8-inch round cake pans with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and golden brown, about 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting. Let cool completely. Using a serrated knife, even the cake layers out to create cakes of even width, set aside.

For the custard:

1 small box of instant 'vanilla pudding'

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped

Mix the package of pudding, milk and heavy cream together until it begins to thicken, about 5 - 7 minutes. Fold in the vanilla or scraped vanilla beans. Let refrigerator about 10 - 15 minutes.

For the frosting:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat the whipping cream in a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Fold in the sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until peaks are stiff.

For the chocolate covered strawberries:

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 oz. white chocolate, chopped

10 large strawberries

Put chocolate in separate microwave safe bowls. One at a time, melt the chocolate in the microwave in intervals of 30 seconds, stirring each time. Heat and stir until smooth. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Hold the strawberries by the stems and dip each one into the semisweet chocolate, tapping any excess chocolate off. Place on baking sheet. Dip a fork into the white chocolate and drizzle over the dipped strawberries. Let set.

For the strawberry filling:

1 1/2 cups trimmed and sliced strawberries

1/8 cup granulated sugar

1/8 cup water

1/2 tbsn. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tbsn. cornstarch

Mix everything besides 1 cup of strawberries in a medium pot over medium heat. Let simmer for 15 - 20 minutes until strawberries have broken down a little and mixture has thickened. Turn off heat and mix in remaining strawberries. Transfer to bowl and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate until cool.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake on the surface you want your final cake to be on. To prevent a frosting mess, you can put pieces of parchment paper around the edges to 'catch' the excess frosting. Use the whipped cream to pipe a 'barrier' of frosting around the top edge of the cake. Spread half of the custard on the cake in the ring, then top with the stewed berries. Top with the next layer of cake and repeat until you have your last layer on. Spread the rest of the custard on the top of the cake. Frost the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream, covering the custard as well. Decorate the top of the cake with the chocolate covered strawberries and the sides of the cake with the straw cookies.

I made two, and frosted the other one this way: dusted in cocoa powder:

Pumpkin Cream Pies

I saw a recipe for pumpkin cream pie and I was astonished! It sounded so unbelievably perfect since I love, love, love cream pies. And guess what I did? Instead of making the custard, with all of its intense technique, listed in the recipe, I went back to my trusty faux-custard recipe that I've used for everything, including Boston cream pies, banana cream pies, fruit tarts AND cream puffs.

I added some pureed pumpkin and some spices and tada! Delicious pumpkin cream. Topped off with some whipped cream and pepita brittle??? Yeah... you know that's gonna be good! I especially loved the pepita brittle because it added the needed change of texture: delicious crunchiness, and some salty goodness.
The pepita brittle was incredibly easy to make, so don't be afraid to attempt it. I think its almost too easy to mess up. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Cream Pie

Yields: about 10 mini pies

Pie recipe slightly modified from this recipe. Original pepita brittle recipe can be found here.

1 9-inch prepared graham cracker crust

(I used 10 mini graham cracker crusts)

For the custard:

1 large box french vanilla pudding

1 1/4 cups whole milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree

For the pepita brittle:

butter or vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

4 oz. unsalted butter

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup + 2 tbsn. water

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsn. sea salt

1 1/2 cups pepitas, raw and untoasted

To make the custard, mix together the pudding mix, milk, and heavy cream and beat until nice and thick, about 5 - 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, spices and puree. Mix well then pour and spread into the prepared pie crust. Set in refrigerator. Top with whipped cream if desired, then with the brittle

For the britte, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. If using parchment, grease the paper with butter or oil. In a medium or large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup and water. Stir the sugar until it is completely moistened. Cook sugar over medium heat until it thickens. It bubbles quickly and often so keep an eye on it and reduce heat as necessary to keep it from bubbling over. The sugar mixture should turn golden after ten minutes. When it is just shy of the desired color, remove from heat and whisk in the baking soda and salt carefully. Using a heatproof spoon, fold in the pepitas and pour onto the baking sheet and quickly spread out evenly. Break it into pieces when completely cool, store in airtight container.

P.S. I will no longer be posting hostile, ill-mannered comments. Though I do believe that everyone has a right to express their opinions, I think that once racial slurs start to appear, a line has been crossed. A big thank you to everyone that reads this blog, who has supported it and I do hope you enjoy my posts :)

Easy Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie ya'll.

Ya heard?!

This pie was B-A-N-A-N-A-S, as Gwen Stefani would say. This pie is simple, easy as hell and delicious. I used my all time favorite go-to custard recipe, which I have also used here and here. I'm not usually one for shortcuts, but this custard is so good and so easy that I don't see the point in attempting to make real pastry cream. One day maybe, but not today. Anyways... bananas, custard, cinnamon whipped cream and pie crust? Yeah I think that definitely qualifies as a winner.

Brown-flecked bananas are perfect for this dessert; perfectly sweet:

Time to arrange your bananas:

YUM, easiest and most delicious pie ever!

Easy Banana Cream Pie

Yields: 1 9-inch pie, serves about 6 - 8

Printable Recipe

1 9-inch pie crust, fully baked and cooled (I used store bought dough, but you could use this recipe)

1 large box of french vanilla pudding

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 3/4 cup heavy cream, split

3 ripe but firm, large bananas, sliced

2 tbsn. powdered sugar, sifted

2 tsp. vanilla extract, split

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

To make the custard, combine the pudding mix, milk, 1 tsp. vanilla and 3/4 cup heavy cream and beat for 5 - 10 minutes until thickened and well combined. Set aside in the refrigerator. To make the whipped cream topping, combine the 1 cup of heavy cream, powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and whip until peaks form. To assemble, grab your cooled pie shell and fill with the custard about halfway (there might be some left over but just grab a spoon and shove it in your mouth!), then arrange the bananas in any way, top with the whipped cream and chill for about an hour or more. Enjoy!

If you're feeling on the decadent side, cover the entire thing in whipped cream!

Humminah, humminah, humminah: