Red Velvet Cake Balls

Red Velvet Cake Balls covered in Dark Chocolate 

Lately, I have become a huge fan of Bakerella and the book Cake Pops. Cake Pops and Cake Balls are very similar. Really, the only difference is that the first one goes on a stick while the second remains as a ball. Pretty simple, huh?

The design and flavor possibilities are countless! I already have a couple *on my to-bake list* for Christmas and my Daughter's Birthday. 

In my opinion, Cake Balls / Cake Pops are really fun to make. Here is why: 

• Your children or friends could make them with you
• You could design your own shape of cake ball / cake pop
• You can mix any flavors you'd like  ---talk about doing things non-traditionally!

This would be why I am so excited about making more Cake Balls / Cake Pops for Christmas and Birthday Parties. (My Daughter loves Mickey Mouse, so I will be trying my hands at cutting little Mickey and Minnie faces!) 

Ingredients:

1. Boxed Red Velvet Cake
2. Cream Cheese Frosting
3. Dark Chocolate bars
4. White Chocolate

Okay, so ready to make your own? 

Start off by baking the cake and let it cool. Then cut it up ...

and crumble it! Talk about having fun in he kitchen!

Add Cream Cheese frosting (1 tub)

Mix it thoroughly.  (It can be done with a wooden spoon or spatula.)

Rich combination of red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting

The next step consists of making the cake balls. I did this when my Daughter was sleeping. It was so relaxing!

You could use your own hands to do it or use a scooper to get equal sized balls. 

Chill them in the fridge on aluminum foil or wax paper for a couple of hours or overnight. 

Once chilled, MELT the chocolate on a double boiler.

QUICKLY pour over the cake balls. 

Take a second and watch the chocolate run down. 

It's like making a little chocolate fountain in your own kitchen. 

Chill it again so the chocolate hardens. 

(I melted white chocolate afterwards to decorate the cake balls. Then we chilled it for a bit. This step is totally up to you. My Hubby had  *a few* before they were ready, hehehe)

Treat yourself to some red velvet chocolate cakes! :-)

~The Wife 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

My Hubby's favorite dessert is Cheesecake. I never thought it would be possible to make it at home, but when I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake....it seemed like the dish was calling his name!  I had been wanting to make something special for him (since he is the one who bakes for me quite often!) and knew this would be the right dessert!

In my Hubby's words: "The cheesecake was similar to pumpkin pie, slightly richer. It was the perfect blend between the traditional pumpkin pie and cheesecake." 

I ended up making two pies from the ingredients listed below. One pie was made in a store-bought crust and the other one was a homemade crust. I strongly recommend making your own crust because the cinnamon flavor from the Graham Crackers and brown sugar will add an additional pumpkini, fall-ish flavor to the cheesecake.

This recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen found at the Food Network. 

Ingredients: 

•  cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*I also added a bit of ginger - I had seen that ingredient listed in other recipes I looked at online. 

Steps: 

1. Beat cream cheese until is smooth. 

2. Add sugar 

sugar and cream cheese -- what a delightful combination! 

3. Add remaining ingredients, except the Puree Pumpkin. 

4. The most awaited moment: add the puree pumpkin and pour into crust.

5. Bake it for 1 hr. 

If you make your own crust, bake the mixture with the raw crust as well. It will cook simultaneously. 

6. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for four hrs or overnight. 

What type of pumpkin desserts have you made this season? 

~ The Wife

He Cooks, I Eat: Perfect Strawberry and Chocolate Mousse Chocolate Cake

The following is a chocolate cake that my Hubby made for me since I love chocolate quite a lot! 

Steps: 

1.     He used a chocolate cake mix and baked it according to the instructions. 

2.     Then he cut it into layers (I loved this part) and added chocolate mousse. 

3.   Prepare the ganache - my Hubby knows how to make this by heart now since it also works GREAT on brownies or top cupcakes instead of using icing.
Here is a good recipe for it from the Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/master-ganache-recipe/index.html
Basically do a double-boiler for the Ganache. Add the chocolate to the second bowl and add heavy whipping cream as you go. It makes the chocolate so perfectly creamy! 

4.     Clean, cut/slice strawberries to decorate the cake. 

5.     Do a white chocolate ganache to drizzle the cake. 

6.     Enjoy!