Just Desserts

There are times when we want really yummy food that also impresses those we fix it for. Today's six recipes are both yummy and sure to impress. Enjoy!

BIG CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond, whose The Pioneer Woman airs on the Food Network.

Total Time: 1 hr 45 min; Prep: 20 min; Inactive: 1 hr; Cook: 25 min; Yield: 12 to 14 servings; Level: Easy

Ingredients

Cake:

4 sticks butter, plus more for greasing

8 heaping tablespoons cocoa, plus more for dusting

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups boiling water

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 whole eggs, beaten

Frosting:

3 cups heavy cream

24 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease and dust with cocoa four 9-inch round cake pans.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cocoa. Stir together. Add the boiling water, allow the mixture to boil for 30 seconds and then turn off the heat. Pour over the flour mixture and stir lightly to cool.

Combine the buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla and beaten eggs. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the butter/chocolate mixture.

Divide the batter among the prepared cake pans and bake for 20 minutes.

Cool completely before icing. Refrigerate the layers after cooling for best results.

For the frosting: Heat the cream until very hot, and then pour over the chocolate pieces. Stir to completely melt, and then pour into the bowl of an electric mixer. Refrigerate to cool.

Once completely cooled, add the vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until light and airy.

Frost the cake in between each layer, on the top and around the sides.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/big-chocolate-birthday-cake-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback.

PEANUT BUTTER BARS

This comes from the Diabetic Gourmet.

Yield: 36 pieces

Source: "The Diabetic Dessert Cookbook" by Coleen Howard

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/2.shtml

Ingredients

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 teaspoon sugar substitute

2 eggs

Rind of 1/2 lemon, grated

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 8-ounce can salted peanuts

Directions

Cream margarine. Add sugar substitute, eggs and lemon rind. Mix well. Add flour and cinnamon. Mix well. Add peanuts and stir.

Shape into bars 1-inch x 1-1/2-inch x 1-inch thick. Pat firmly.Cover with waxed paper and allow to dry overnight.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the bars 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (per piece):

Calories: 77.5, Carbohydrate: 6.7 g, Cholesterol: 11.8 g, Fat: 4.75 g, Fiber: .663 g, Protein: 2.56 g, Sodium: 4.05 mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Bread/Starch, 1 Fat

BLUEBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE BARS

From Ocean Spray.

By the way, does anyone else like Ocean Spray's commercials as much as I do? They're among the few commercials that I actually watch.

Prep Time 20 minutes; Cook Time 45 minutes; Yield Makes 32 bars

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

Filling

1 cup Ocean Spray® Craisins® Blueberry Juice Infused Dried Cranberries

3/4 cup Ocean Spray® Blueberry Juice Cocktail

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Topping

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

TO MAKE CRUST: Combine flour, oats and powdered sugar in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat at low speed. Add butter; increase speed to medium-low. Beat until crumbly and mixture starts to stick together. Pat into bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until starting to brown.

TO MAKE FILLING: Meanwhile, combine sweetened dried cranberries and blueberry juice cocktail in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until juice is absorbed and cranberries are soft. Set aside to cool.

Combine cream cheese and granulated sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add lemon zest and lemon juice; beat, scraping side of bowl if needed, until smooth. Add eggs and flour; beat until smooth. Drop cranberry filling by small spoonfuls over crust; spread out. (Will not completely cover crust.) Pour lemon filling evenly over cranberry filling. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set in center. Cool completely.

Store covered in refrigerator. Sift 2 tablespoons powdered sugar over filling before serving. Run knife around edges of pan to loosen bars before cutting.

Makes 32 bars.

BLACKBERRY ICE CREAM: NO FAT AND LOW SUGAR

From One Green Planet.

This recipe is Dairy Free, Vegan

Ingredients

2 cups frozen blackberries

2 frozen bananas, in chunks

a few splashes of almond milk

Preparation

In a blender or food processor, blend the frozen fruit with a little bit of almond milk, adding the milk little by little. Don’t add too much or you’ll just end up with a frozen smoothie; you want to add just a few splashes when necessary. Depending on the speed of your blender or food processor, this will take about five minutes. You may need to stir the ice cream mixture with a spoon between pulsing to make sure everything gets blended (unless you want chunks).

Serve immediately as soft serve, or place in a container in the freezer for at least one hour before scooping it out.

ALMOND JOY

This yummy recipe comes from the April 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times. While I love most of the recipes I find in Vegetarian Times, some of them really stand out, as far as I'm concerned; this is one of them. It begins, “As delicious as a candy bar, this delicate dessert whips up in an instant. Use prepared chocolate syrup to garnish the cake. If you really want to fancy it up, make your own fudge sauce, and drizzle it on before serving.” Serves 8 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

1 14-oz. premade angel food cake

2 12-oz. pkg. soft silken tofu

4 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar

1 Tbs. almond extract, or to taste

1 8-oz. pkg. almond paste

2 cups sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

Chocolate syrup, as desired

Tear angel food cake into about 2×4-inch rectangles, and put about half of them into 3-quart serving dish.

Put tofu, sugar, almond extract and almond paste into blender or food processor, and purée until smooth. Pour half mixture over cake pieces, and top with remaining cake. Pour remaining mixture over cake, and garnish with almonds and drizzles of chocolate syrup. Chill, or serve immediately.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 470; Protein: 15 g; Total Fat: 23 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 53 g; Sodium: 380 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 16 g

CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

The first time I made this pie, I was 15 and wanted to impress a boyfriend. I did, but not the way I’d planned: the crust came out tasting like under-cooked pizza dough, I burned the chocolate pudding, and the whipped cream came out almost to butter. Hmmm...

9 " pie crust

1 large package chocolate pudding(not instant)

1 cup whipping cream + 3 Tablespoons sugar

Cook pudding according to package directions. Pour into baked pie crust. Add sugar to cream. Whip cream & place on pie. Chill.

Note: Now, what could be easier?