Ok, well maybe I can’t tell you how to win his heart. I mean, I won the heart of my boyfriend, Nate,  but I’m pretty sure every guy is different. But you know what all men have in common?…their stomachs. Any man can be won over with a cake.

I’ve been in several relationships, but no one has been as appreciative of what I cook as Nate. It’s really nice to have someone enjoy every single thing that comes out of your kitchen, even when you know it wasn’t your best work. Maybe Nate’s easy to please, but I like to think I’m just that good ;)


This cake was my way of showing the man that appreciates me so much how much I appreciate him. Red velvet cake is one of his faves, and raspberry mousse is one of mine, so I thought I’d bring them together in a cake full of love. Plus, raspberry and chocolate make a darn good combo.

I kinda just found a bunch of recipes, threw them together, and hoped for the best. But with cream cheese, chocolate, butter and raspberry, I didn’t really know how it could go wrong. And from the look on Nate’s face when he took his first bite, I’d say it was a success.

Nate gives it two thumbs up!

Happy Valentine’s Day! <3

Red Velvet Cake with Raspberry Mousse and Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Me

Cake

1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 pkg chocolate instant pudding mix
1- 7 oz. container 2% greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce or other fruit puree (I used stewed prune puree)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (for cake assembly)

Raspberry Mousse

3/4 cup boiling water
1 pkg (3 oz) raspberry flavored JELLO
1 cup ice cubes
4 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
2 cups Non-dairy whipped topping, thawed (I used Cool Whip Free)

Frosting

8 oz. of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz. butter, room temperature
8 oz. containter of non-dairy whipped topping (I used Cool Whip Free)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray and flour two 9-in. round cake pans.

In a VERY large bowl, mix together everything except choclate chips. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter between cake pans. Spread out batter and tap pan on counter once or twice to get air bubbles out.

Cook for around 30-45 min (depends on cake mix brand) or until tester comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack. When cool, remove from pans and cut each cake in half horizontally to form 4 cake round layers.

Mousse:

Line two 8-in. round pans with plastic wrap.

Add boiling water to gelatin mix. Stir 2 min until completely dissolved. Stir in ice until melted. When gelatin is cold and begins to congeal, remove remnants of ice that haven’t melted.

Blend cream cheese in bowl until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in gelatin. Whisk is whipped topping after gelatin has slightly set.

Divide mousse between pans, spreading out evenly. Refrigerate 3-4 hours our until set.

Frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy and blended.

Add powdered sugar and beat til well blended.

Add 3/4 of the whipped topping and beat well. Fold in remainder of whipped topping.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Assembly:

Melt raspberry jam in microwave until spreadable but not hot. Put first cake layer on plate and spread with 1/3 of the jam.

Pipe a line of frosting around the outer edge of the round. Carefully flip 1 mousse round onto cake and remove plastic wrap.

Put next cake round on top of mousse layer. Spread with next 1/3 of jam, and then frosting to cover, about 1/4″ thick.

Put next cake round on top of frosting layer. Spread with rest of jam. Pipe another line of frosting around outer edge.

Flip next mousse layer onto cake. Put top layer on top of mousse layer.

Finish frosting cake with rest of frosting. Decorate as desired. Refrigerate again before cutting.

 

Mwah!

Neither Nate or I like partying. For those of you who haven’t read the About Me page, Nate is my boyfriend. I was so glad when I started dating him because for once I didn’t have to force myself to go to bars just because the guy I was dating wanted to go out. It’s so much easier with Nate because we both like low-key nights at home…cooking dinner and popping in a dvd.

An artistic shot by Nate

What’s also nice is that Nate is very close with his mother who lives in PA (near DE) and whom we visit whenever we have a long weekend. Nate and I are both big on “home.” It’s a concept that makes us both so happy. I can’t put my finger on why, but it’s just so comforting. I’m definitely the kind of person who, while I love my life, often wish I could go back to the carefree days of childhood when my biggest worry was a test I had to study for.

I love baking in a big kitchen!

Now I realize his mom’s home isn’t MY home, per se, but it’s a home, with a mom who cooks for us, where we can laze around and do nothing. It’s an escape from the city and the work week.

Sunrise in the country

When we visit, I like to contribute by cooking dinner or baking dessert. So when we headed down there for New Years, I called up my own mother to get a good recipe to make for dessert on New Years Eve. Nate’s mom was already taking care of dinner by her tradition of cheese fondue on New Years Eve. To be healthy, I requested some peppers and apples to dip in the cheese, along with the bread.

Healthy eats for dippin

My mom told me that I absolutely had to make this recipe she found on Bon Appetit that she LOVES, for Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes with Rum-Ginger Ice Cream…and let me tell you, it was out of this world!

Mmmmm mmmm

 

I do happen to like plain molten chocolate cakes, and might even prefer them to this recipe because the chocolate flavor takes center stage, but if you want to make a different version of the recipe, this is definitely the one you should go to. They were a hit!

Happy New Year!

Winter-Spice Molten Chocolate Cakes with Rum-Ginger Ice Cream
taken in its entirety from Bon Appetite

Ice cream

    1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
    2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
    1 tablespoon dark rum

Cakes

    14 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
    1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
    2 teaspoons ground coriander
    2 teaspoons ground cardamom
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
    1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
    6 large eggs
    6 large egg yolks
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    3 cups powdered sugar
    1 cup all purpose flour
    Additional powdered sugar
    Crystallized ginger strips
Preparation:

For ice cream:
Place softened ice cream in medium bowl. Using plastic spatula, fold ginger and rum into ice cream. Transfer to airtight container. Freeze ice cream mixture until firm, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.)

For cakes:
Generously butter eight 3/4-cup soufflé dishes. Stir chocolate, butter, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and white pepper in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk in 3 cups powdered sugar, then chocolate mixture, then flour. Transfer batter to prepared dishes, filling to top and dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake cakes until batter has risen above dish, top edges are dark brown, and centers are still soft and runny, about 15 minutes, or about 18 minutes for refrigerated batter. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Allow cakes to rest in dishes 5 minutes. Using hot pad and holding dish very firmly, place plate gently atop 1 cake and invert onto plate. Repeat with remaining cakes. Dust with powdered sugar. Top with crystallized ginger. Serve cakes with rum-ginger ice cream.