Dessert Three Ways

I really enjoy being a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program.  I was recently picked to try out Duncan Hines and Comstock products for this go round.  I was given some coupons for myself and to share with others for free products.  All my friends and family were very happy!  I chose several products to try:  Duncan Hines Decadent Triple Chocolate Cake with the Amazing Chocolate Glaze, Duncan Hines Brownie Mix and the Comstock Lemon Pie filling.

I made the Decadent Triple Chocolate Cake with the Amazing Chocolate Glaze as- is for my mother’s birthday party.  This cake was to die for!  We all really enjoyed it.  I made it as a bundt cake and it was so moist and rich.  The Glaze was so, so easy to use and I personally think it is much more yummy than regular frosting.  This is definitely a must-try, even if you are partial to scratch baking.

I used the Brownie mix to make a peppermint mocha brownie by just adding one tablespoon of instant espresso powder and 1 cup of chopped white chocolate peppermint bark.  I based this around popular holiday drinks as I thought the brownie would lend really well to the flavors.  I used a lot more instant espresso than I normally would as I really wanted to drive the mocha flavor home and it worked!  The brownies were very easy and turned out just as I had planned so I was really happy with them.

For the Comstock Lemon Pie filling, I made a bread pudding.  It was my first time making bread pudding but I really thought that lemon would go well with the texture and mild flavor.  Again, I was really happy with the result!  It came out creamy with a mild lemon flavor, our family really enjoyed it!

I really urge you to try any of these products, whether to bake as-is or to experiment with putting your own twist on them!  Thank you to Foodbuzz, Duncan Hines and Comstock for giving me the opportunity to try these great products!

LEMON BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients:

12 Cups of Croissant or Butterflake Rolls, cubed

6 Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

2 Cups Whole Milk

1 Tsp Pure Maple Syrup

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Can of Comstock Lemon Pie Filling

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously grease a 9×13 pan.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and maple syrup together.  Gradually mix in the milk and the flour until well blended.

3.  Add bread cubes to the mixture and stir until all bread cubes have soaked up the liquid.  Add half the can of lemon pie filling to the bread mixture and mix well.

4.  Add half of the bread cubes to the baking dish.  Spread half the can of the lemon pie filling over the entire the layer.

5.  Add the remaining bread mixture on top of the lemon pie filling.

6.  Bake for 45 minutes, toothpick inserted should come out clean.

Mocha Marshmallow Cupcakes

It is amazing how many things I learn on Facebook.  For instance, today is National Coffee Day.  Instead of boring you with a picture of me in the kitchen with my Keurig or in line at Starbucks, I thought I’d spin this post a little bit differently.  Being the foo-foo coffee drinker that I am, my brew of choice is usually a mocha or some derivative of one.  I don’t think I’ve ever had straight black coffee in all my life and I don’t really plan to.

I do, however,  love eating and making cupcakes!  A few years ago, I had one of Sprinkles’ chocolate marshmallow cupcakes and loved it.   Naturally, I wanted to change it up a bit.  I thought that a mocha cupcake with the marshmallow filling would be wonderful.  The cake and frosting recipes are not my own, I pieced it together to create what I thought would be a yummy cupcake.  The Mocha Madness Cupcake comes from The Ultimate Cupcake Manual and the Marshmallow Frosting comes from Dozen Flours.

I served these at an Easter Brunch and they went over well.  They were really rich so everyone was happy.  They didn’t have an overly mocha taste in the cake but overall, it came together and was very decadent.  Even if you are not a big coffee fan and just a lover of good old chocolate, you would be very happy with these!

MOCHA MARSHMALLOW CUPCAKES

Ingredients For the Cupcakes:

6 TBS Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Tsp Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp Salt

1 Egg

1/3 Cup Espresso, Chilled

1/2 Cup Buttermilk

2 TBS Vegetable Oil

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Filling:

1 Jar of Jet Puffed Marshmallow Fluff

For the Frosting:

2 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

6 Large Marshmallows or 3/4 Cup Marshmallow Fluff

4 TBS Butter

1/4 Cup Whole Milk or Whipping Cream

1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

1.  Pre-heat Oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pan with liners.

2.  Sift together the cocoa, flour, sugars, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

3.  Combine the espresso, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth, then add to the dry mixture.

4.  Stir mixtures together until smooth and pour into cupcake liners.  (I fill mine about 2/3 full.)

5.  Bake for 18-20 mins, ovens will vary.  Cake will spring back to the touch.  Cool cupcakes in pan and then transfer to a wire rack.

6.  Fill a piping bag with the marshmallow fluff.  Insert tip into the top of the cupcake and fill.  Let stand while you make the frosting.

7.  To make the frosting, sift the sugar and cocoa powder together in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

8.  In a medium sauce pan, over low heat, add marshmallows (or fluff), butter and milk/cream.  Stir until melted, about 3 minutes.

9.  Remove pan from heat.

10.  Add the sugar/cocoa powder mixture and vanilla into the marshmallow mixture.  Stir until smooth, it should have a satin finish.

11.  Frost the cooled cupcakes with warm frosting and let sit.  (Note:  I prefer to dip the tops of the cupcakes into the frosting than use a frosting knife.)

12.  Once the frosting is set, I put a dollop of marshmallow fluff in the middle and garnish with a chocolate covered espresso bean.

Makes approximately a dozen cupcakes.