valentine’s day cake

Make For Your Valentine

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Orange Kiss-Me Cake.jpg

Orange Kiss-Me Cake

1 large orange
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnuts
½ cup shortening
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Cut orange in half; remove and discard seeds. Squeeze 1/3 cup juice from orange; set juice aside. Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add orange halves, raisins, and 1/3 cup walnuts. Process until finely chopped; set aside.
Cream shortening; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each addition. Stir in raisin mixture.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Drizzle reserved orange juice over cake. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ cup walnuts, and cinnamon; sprinkle over warm cake. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Yield: 15 servings.
Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.
THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

Make For Your Valentine

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Raspberry Heart Cheesecake

Raspberry Heart Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 12 sheets)
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 ½ cups plus 5 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 pint (6 oz.) fresh raspberries
  • 2 lbs. cream cheese, room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line 32 cups of standard muffin tins with paper liners. For crumb crust, stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter and 3 tbsp. sugar; press 1 tbsp. mixture into bottom of each cup. Bake until set and beginning to color at edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool.

Puree raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Whisk in 2 tbsp. sugar.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add remaining 1 ½ cups sugar in a slow stream. Mix in salt and vanilla until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each (do not overmix) and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

Spoon 3 tbsp. filling over crust in each cup; tap pans on counter to set filling. Drop 2 dots of raspberry puree about 1 inch apart on each. Drag the tip of a toothpick or wooden skewer through centers of each dot to create a heart.

To bake, set tins in roasting pans. Pour hot water to halfway up side of tins. Bake until set, about 34 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate cheesecakes in tins (uncovered) at least 4 hours; remove from tins using an offset spatula. Cakes can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 5 days.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

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

www.thasc.com

Make For Your Valentine

thasc1Leave a comment

Chocolate Strawberry Mascarpone Cake

Chocolate Strawberry Mascarpone Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 box chocolate cake mix
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 8 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup white frosting
  • Red food coloring
  • 1 can chocolate frosting
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries
  • 2 drops strawberry flavor extract or oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make cake mix according to directions. Bake in greased and floured bundt pan. Cook cake then slice horizontally, making a total of 4 pieces (for 3 layers). For filling, in mixing bowl whip heavy cream until peaks form. Add mascarpone cheese and white frosting, mix well but do not overbeat. Add red food coloring until desired color is achieved. Place bottom slice of cake onto a waxed paper-lined serving platter; frost with mascarpone mixture. Repeat layers. Add strawberry flavor to chocolate frosting, mix well. Frost sides of cake with chocolate frosting, sealing cut edges. Microwave leftover frosting to drizzle over top of cake. (Add drops of milk to loosen, if needed.) Remove wax paper; chill. Before serving add strawberries to center of cake.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

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

www.thasc.com