dessert ideas

After School Treats

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After School Treats 4Swamp Mud

  • 5 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 4 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon gelatin powder
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • sprinkles, to decorate

Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl and sit it over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and zest in a large bowl for 5 minutes, or until thick and creamy. Beat in the cream and melted chocolate. Combine the gelatin with the juice in a bowl. Stand the bowl in hot water and stir until the gelatin dissolves. Add to the chocolate mixture and beat until combined. Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl.  Using an electric mixer, beat until firm peaks form. Add to the chocolate mixture. Fold in together until well combined. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until set. Decorate with sprinkles. Serves 8.

“Cooked” Swamp Mud

  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ cups whole milk (2% can be used)
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. On low heat whisk in milk one cup at a time. Slowly add eggs, whisk together until smooth. Turn heat up to medium until the mixture just starts to boil. Turn back down the heat to low and continue to whisk until pudding thickens about 2-3 minutes. Remove pudding from heat and stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted and blended into pudding. Pour hot pudding into individual dishes cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours. Remove wrap and apply sprinkles to your Swamp Mud.

Chocolate Chip Crackles

  • 3 cups puffed rice cereal
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ cup golden raisins
  • 2/3 cup shredded dried coconut
  • 7 ounces vegetable shortening, melted
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • colored sprinkles, to decorate

Line 24 mini muffin cups with foil or doubled paper liners.  Combine the puffed rice cereal, cocoa, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly, then stir in the raisins and coconut. Stir in the melted shortening. Spoon the mixture into the paper liners. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and top with colored sprinkles.  Refrigerate until set. Makes 24.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

Cooking With Kids

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Party Cone Cupcakes.jpegParty Cone Cupcakes

Utensils:

  • Flour sifter
  • Electric mixer
  • Mixing bowl
  • Measuring spoons and cups
  • Cookie sheet

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup butter or margarine (softened)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • flat-bottom ice cream cones

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Cream sugar and butter with electric mixer; add egg and beat. Add vanilla. Beat in flour and milk, alternately until well blended. Beat two minutes. Place ice cream cones on baking sheet. Spoon batter to half-fill each cone. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Frost with your favorite frosting.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

Happy Father’s Day

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Worlds Best Cake

World’s Best Cake for the World’s Best Father

 Ingredients:

  • 10 ½ tbsp. (1 stick plus 2 ½ tbsp.) butter, softened
  • 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 5 large eggs, separated
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ vanilla bean

 Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle position. Line an 8 x 12 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Beat the butter and 2/3 cup of the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and baking powder and mix well on low speed. Mix in the egg yolks and milk. Scrape the batter into the baking pan. In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining 1 cup sugar to soft peaks. Spread on top of the cake layer. Sprinkle with the almond slices. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown and puffed. Cool on a wire rack in the pan. Transfer to a cutting board. When the cake is cool, put the cream in a medium bowl and scrape in the vanilla seeds. Discard the vanilla pod. Beat to soft peaks with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Cut the cake in half crosswise with a serrated knife. Place one half of the cake on a serving tray and cover with the cream. Place the other half, meringue side up, on top. Let the cake sit for 1 hour in the fridge before serving.

Serves 8

 Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

Getting Ready for the Fourth of July

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Strawberry Layer Cake

Strawberry Layer Cake

 Ingredients:

  • Oil or melted butter, for greasing
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • Generous ¾ cup superfine sugar
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp. milk

 Filling:

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp. strawberry jelly

 Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch round layer cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and add the butter, superfine sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat well until the batter is smooth, then stir in the milk. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth level. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until risen, firm and golden brown. Let cool in the pans for 2-3 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. For the filling, beat together the butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread this mixture on top of one of the cakes. Spread the bottom of the other cake with the jelly and then sandwich the two cakes together to enclose the filling, pressing down lightly. Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Serves 6-8 

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

Getting Ready for the Fourth of July

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Tutti Frutti Whoopie Pies

Tutti Frutti Whoopie Pies

 Ingredients:

  • Generous 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • Large pinch of salt
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ¾ cup superfine sugar
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup finely chopped mixed colored candied cherries
  • 4 tbsp. multicolored sugar sprinkles

 Filling:

  • 8 oz. white marshmallows
  • 4 tbsp. milk
  • Few drops of red food coloring
  • ½ cup vegetable shortening
  • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

 Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2-3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract followed by half of the flour mixture and then buttermilk. Stir in the rest of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Stir in chopped cherries. Pipe or spoon 50 small mounds of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, spaced well apart to allow for spreading. Bake in the preheated oven, one sheet at a time, for 9-11 minutes, until risen and just firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes, then using a palette knife transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. For the filling, place the marshmallows, milk and food coloring in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of water. Heat until the marshmallows have melted. Remove from the heat and let cool. Place the vegetable shortening and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl and beat together until smooth and creamy. Add the creamed mixture to the marshmallow and beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Spread the filling over the flat side of half the cakes. Top with the remaining cakes. Roll the edges of the pies in the sugar sprinklers.

Makes 25

 Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

Carrot-Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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carrot-lime-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting1

Ingredients

  • Unsalted Butter, at room temperature, for greasing the pans
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting the pans
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup full-fat plain yogurt (preferably not Greek yogurt)
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, or 1 cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 cups coarsely grated carrot

 Lime Syrup

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Pinch of salt

 Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 cups (one 16 ounce box) confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and side of two 9-inch round pans. Dust with flour to coat, then invert and tap out any excess.

Place the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and table salt in a large bowl and whisk together well to combine. Stir in the yogurt, butter water and eggs until moistened and no lumps remain (be careful not to overmix). Stir in the grated carrot. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.

Bake until the layers are evenly golden on top and a few moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted in the center of the cake, 40 to 45 minutes. Coat the layers with lime syrup; pierce the cakes, still in their pans, at one-inch intervals with a skewer or a paring knife. This creates channels for the syrup to seep into the cakes. Then, pour or generously brush the syrup over the surface of the hot layers, dividing it between them as evenly as you can. Transfer the soaked layers (still in their pans) to a wire rack to cool completely. When they are cooled and are no longer wet to touch, one to two hours, carefully turn them out of their pans and assemble.

Combine the butter, cream cheese, salt and 2 cups of the sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the remaining sugar and beat on medium speed until the frosting is pale and no longer grainy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until the frosting is very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate and frost top. Place next layer on top and frost top and sides. Decorate as desired.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com