Recipes

Name: Chocolate Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour; 2 Cups Sugar; 0.75 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder; 2 tsp Baking Powder; 1.5 tsp Baking Soda; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Espresso Powder; 1 Cup Buttermilk; 0.5 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil; 2 Large Eggs; 2 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 Cup Boiling water or Coffee (adds more flavor)

August 5, 2023

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lkdaimwm, title=Chocolate Cake ]]

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lkf13tdf, title=Vanilla Cheesecake ]]

[[ recipeID=recipe-8ll19p05v, title=Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake ]]

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Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Cups Sugar
¾ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Espresso Powder
1 Cup Buttermilk
½ Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2 Large Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Boiling water or Coffee (adds more flavor)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Prepare two 8-inch cake pans by spraying them with baking spray (I use Baker's Joy). If you want taller cake layers, I would definitely recommend doubling this recipe.
Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl. Whisk all of your dry ingredients until combined well. I like to do this by hand to get everything incorporated but you can definitely do this using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Add buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.
Add boiling water or coffee to the batter and whisk until combined.
Distribute your cake batter evenly into your prepared pans.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes and then wrap the layers in plastic wrap and freeze until you are ready to decorate.

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

Cheesecake Filling

4 - 8 oz Packages of Cream Cheese
1 ⅔ Cups Sugar
¼ Cup Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
¾ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Crust

22 Crushed Golden Oreos
5 Tbsp Melted Butter

Instructions

For the Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and begin heating a pot of water on medium heat.
Line the bottom of an 8-inch spring form or regular cake pan with parchment paper
Crush the Golden Oreos and melted butter with a food processor
Pour the crust into the spring form or cake pan and press into the bottom with the end of a spatula or a cup/glass.
Bake crust in the oven for 10 minutes
Once the crust is done, remove it from the oven and bring the oven temp down to 275 degrees.

For the Filling

Place one 8-ounce package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and cornstarch in mixer bowl. Beat with paddle attachment on medium until creamy, about 3 minutes
Beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese and increase the mixer speed to high until creamy and well mixed
Beat in the 1 and 1/3 cups of the remaining sugar, and then add in the vanilla
Blend in the eggs on low, one at a time, beating the batter well after each one
Blend in the heavy cream (be careful not to overmix)
Pour the filling into your spring form or cake pan
This step is crucial. You must place your cheesecake in a water bath while baking. Fill an aluminum foil pan with boiling hot water. If you're using a springform pan, wrap it securely with foil to avoid the water from seeping into the cheesecake. If you are using a regular cake pan, you can place it directly into your aluminum pan.
Place the cheesecake in the oven and bake for 90 minutes.
After 90 minutes, turn the oven off and let it cool for one hour with the oven door closed. This step is crucial and will determine if your cheesecake has cracks. After an hour, crack the oven door and let it cool for another 30 minutes and then wrap it and place it in the freezer overnight to cool completely.

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

Pineapple Layer

7 Tbsp Butter melted, divided
½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar
10 Canned Pineapple Slices (reserve the juice)
10 Maraschino Cherries
1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Cheesecake Layer

4 8 oz Packages of Cream Cheese
1 ⅔ Cups Sugar (divided)
¼ Cup Cornstarch
6 Tbsp Pineapple Juice
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
¾ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Brown Sugar Glaze

¼ Cup Unsalted Butter
½ Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

Instructions

Pineapple Layer

Preheat oven to 275 degrees and begin heating a pot of water on medium heat.
Line the bottom and grease the sides of an 8 inch spring form or regular cake pan with parchment paper
Combine 4 tablespoons of melted butter with the brown sugar. Spread this evenly in the bottom of the pan.
Pat the pineapple slices dry, so that you don't add excess liquid to the topping. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over the brown sugar.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Spread this evenly on top of the pineapple slices and gently press it into them.

Cheesecake Layer

Place one 8-ounce package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and cornstarch in mixer bowl. Beat with paddle attachment on low until creamy, about 3 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl as you go
Beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese and increase the mixer speed to medium until well mixed scraping the sides of the bowl as you go
Beat in the 1 and 1/3 cups remaining sugar, and then beat in the vanilla and pineapple juice
Blend in the eggs, one at a time, mixing the batter well after each one
Blend in heavy cream (be careful not to overmix)
Pour the cheesecake batter into your spring form or cake pan
Place your cheesecake into a square foil pan and place it in the oven and then pour boiling water into your pan to create a water bath.
After 90 minutes, turn the oven off and let it cool for one hour with the oven door closed. This step is crucial and will determine if your cheesecake has cracks. After an hour, crack the oven door and let it cool for another 30 minutes and then cover with foil and place in the freezer overnight to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Glaze

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a pan, whisking until smooth and most of the graininess is gone
Add vanilla bean paste and whisk until smooth over low heat for about 2- 3 minutes. The mixture should be thick and smooth, somewhat like caramel syrup
Remove from heat and let cool for until it is just warm to touch and then drizzle over the cheesecake

Notes

Please feel free to use any brand of the ingredients noted above. I am the generic brand queen, so I purchase what is on SALE.

This recipe makes a tall cheesecake that is at least 3.5". If you want to make a smaller cheesecake, you can spilt the ingredients in half and follow the same steps