Fudge. That very word has struck fear in my heart. Usually spoken late on a cold night, when the kids had been off from school because of snow, one of them would invariably ask for a ‘pot of fudge’.

Fudge at our house was rather involved. 3 cups of sugar, half a cup of cocoa, a tablespoon of white corn syrup and a cup of milk, cooked to soft ball stage, then beaten until I thought my arm would fall off [for some reason known only to my maternal grandmother, this step was only to be completed by hand, never with a mixer]. Then the whole mess was spread out on buttered wax paper, scored and you prayed to the Fudge Goddess that it didn’t set up grainy.

Now, there are all sorts of kits on the market for ‘home made fudge’. They’re not anywhere near like the real thing. I know. I’ve tried them.

There is hope, ladies and gentlemen. Chocolates will out, there is a new day dawning in the annals of fudgedom. And it is

drumroll please

GENIUS FUDGE

This is sort of complicated. So I’ll type slow:

1. In a large microwave safe dish, put 12 ounces of chocolate chips

2. Heat on high for one minute. Stir. Continue until all the chips are melted.

3. Into the melted chocolate, stir one can of prepared creamy style [not whipped] frosting of whatever flavor. Stir well

4. At this point, you can make any additions: a cup of peanut butter, some chopped nuts, dried fruit. Most anything.

5. Spread it out onto a buttered surface [don’t try the non-stick aluminum foil. It works for cakes, not candy] and score the top lightly with a knife before it sets up.

There. That’s it. Five minutes and you have a perfect batch of fudge.

I usually make two batches. One I use milk chocolate chips and caramel/coconut/pecan frosting, and the other dark or bittersweet chips, dark chocolate frosting and add a cup of soy-nut butter because I’m allergic to peanuts. It’s also excellent using butterscotch chips and vanilla frosting, with chopped cashews or crushed pretzels.

This is a recipe to have fun with, something you send to your kid’s school, but only you know how easy it was to make.

Elvis Birthday Cake

This week I had the opportunity to do a small birthday cake for a close friend’s niece. The theme of the party was Elvis Presley (hence the design on the cake). While doing this cake I decided to do some experimenting with different types of frostings. I’ve made them all mixed, boiled, and I have such a hard time finding that perfect frosting that “crusts” over nicely, but doesn’t taste like you’re eating shortening out of the can! I came to this recipe by combining about 3 recipes. The combination of the butter and cream cheese create a perfect crust but the taste is still there. I hope you all find this frosting as yummy as the party goers did. Happy Baking! 

Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 8oz bar cream cheese softened
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 lbs shifted powder sugar
- ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

To make the frosting:

Cream butter, and cream cheese together. Cream until smooth. Mix in vanilla, and salt. Lastly add powdered sugar slowly to the creamed mixture. Mix until everything is all incorporated. YUM!

Frosting recipe yields approximately 4 cups of frosting. 

To make the cake: 

1.  Select a good quality cake mix (a nice quick cake).  I’m partial to Duncan Hines when I’m in a pinch because it is dense, and moist.  Very easy to decorate on. 

2. Mix the cake mix per the box instructions, and divide into 2 8″ round cake pans. 

3.  Bake cakes at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes. 

4.  Allow cakes to cool slightly, take the cakes out of the pans, and cool on a cooling rack. 

5.  Add your favorite filling to your cake, and frosting completely.  Allow the cake to “crust” over slightly.  To speed up the process, put the cake in your refridgerator for about an hour.  

6.  You can use any design you’d like on your cake, but to make the Elvis design, you can do the following.  Find your favorite Elvis photo online, and print a 6″x4″ copy.  Cut the outline of the picture.  Carefully place your template onto your cake, trace the outline with a toothpick, and take the template off.  Using colored icing or icing gel, fill in the design completely.

Maple Bacon Doughnut Courtesy of Voodoo Doughnut

To many Americans, the idea of mixing dinner with breakfast, or mixing dessert with lunch, is stomach churning. America has traditional breakfast foods, such as, eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Lunch is generally served cold and comprised of sandwiches or other light fare. Dinner is meant to be heavy, satisfying, and hot. So, what happens when people rebel against our societal gastronomic norms? All kinds of yummy goodness.

Who can imagine mixing dessert with breakfast or dinner? Ever tried cheesecake eggs? Neither have I. How about spaghetti pancakes? Again, that’s a negative for me. Okay, so maybe not all rebellions are successful, wise, or… tasty. Some, however, certainly merit at least a sampling.

I shared dinner with a good friend recently, and as the meal drew to a close, she began scouring my kitchen in search of chocolate… delicious, creamy, irreplaceable chocolate. Unfortunately for her, all of the chocolate in my house is perfunctorily devoured upon discovery, and my unfortunate friend was left dreaming. She wasn’t dreaming about just any chocolate though. She is picky picky. She specifically craved… drum roll please… a bacon covered chocolate glazed doughnut. Bacon… covered… chocolate glazed …doughnut. Apparently, it’s what all the cool kids are eating these days. I looked at her aghast, still feeling bad that I had no plain milk chocolate morsels to offer, when she began sharing her recently acquired knowledge and taste for the slightly bizarre.

Apparently, most of us close-minded Americans have been stuck in a rut, eating our customary breakfast foods at breakfast, and dessert foods at dessert. Other, perhaps more enlightened individuals, however, have been embarking on culinary adventures in realms far away from breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. I was offering to drive her to Krispy Kreme doughnuts, while she was dreaming of bacon covered doughnuts. Perhaps, she may have discovered relatively uncharted territory that deserves further exploration.

While my friend was kindly educating me on various potential exquisite flavor combinations, the TV was busy slamming it in my face. Bizarre foods with Andrew Zimmern was highlighting a doughnut joint named, “Voodoo Dougnut” in Portland, Oregon. This bakery explores many flavor combinations, including one they have named the “Arnold Palmer”, a cake doughnut covered with lemon and tea powder. They also offer bacon topped, maple glaze covered doughnuts. Another website my friend showed me offers chocolate covered bacon in both milk and dark chocolate, as well as other flavorful extraordinary possibilities.

So, for all you adventurous types looking to embark on an exploratory voyage in desserts, think about it, look at the pictures, read the reviews, and perhaps… take a leap off that cliff… and just… taste it. Then, come back and let us know what you think! Enjoy your adventure…

Easter Bunny Cake from BettyCrocker.com

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® carrot cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
Tray or cardboard, covered with foil
1 container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
1 cup shredded coconut
Construction paper
Jelly beans or small gumdrops
1 cup shredded coconut
Green food color

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and cool cake as directed on box for two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans.

2. Reserve 1 layer for another use or to make a second bunny. Cut 1 layer in half as shown in diagram. Put halves together with frosting to form body. Place cake upright on cut edge on tray.

3. Cut out a notch about one-third of the way up one end of body to form head (small end) as shown in diagram. Attach half of cutout piece from tail with toothpicks. Frost with remaining frosting, rounding body on sides. Sprinkle with 1 cup coconut. Cut ears from construction paper; press into notch on top. Use jelly beans for eyes and nose.

4. Shake 1 cup coconut and 3 drops food color in tightly covered jar until evenly tinted. Surround bunny with tinted coconut. Add additional jelly beans if desired. Store loosely covered.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions on cake mix box for two 8- or 9-inch round pans.

Source: Find more recipes at www.bettycrocker.com.