“Better Than” Better Than Sex Cake with Triple Fudge Dark Chocolate Cake, Dulce de Leche Soaking Cream, Toffee Bits, Mascarpone Whipped Cream, Salted Caramel Whipped Cream, Salty Bourbon Caramel Sauce, & Ruffled Potato Chips

“Better Than” Better Than Sex Cake with Triple Fudge Dark Chocolate Cake, Dulce de Leche Soaking
 Cream, Toffee Bits, Mascarpone Whipped Cream, Salted Caramel Whipped Cream, Salty Bourbon
 Caramel Sauce, & Ruffled Potato Chips

Hey y'all, it's been a superrrrrr long time ((sorry about that)). BUT but but... I have a new recipe today, yay!! I'm usually the first person to turn their nose up towards anything easy or store-bought. However, I have always had a place in my heart for "better than sex cake". You know, that cake where its soaked in sweet condense milk and topped with whipped cream + toffee bits? Well, I always thought to myself, someone should make a gourmet version of this. Thus, I introduce to you my “Better Than” Better Than Sex Cake with Triple Fudge Dark Chocolate Cake, Dulce de Leche Soaking Cream, Toffee Bits, Mascarpone Whipped Cream, Salted Caramel Whipped Cream, Salty Bourbon Caramel Sauce, & Ruffled Potato Chips. It's the perfect balance of sweet + salty. Ya know how?? Through the toffee bits, salty bourbon caramel sauce, & ruffled potato chips. I love love love the addition of potato chups, like fo'real y'all. It might sound super weird, but just go with it, I promise that you'll adore it! I fancied it up a bit by using Dulce de Leche (versus caramel) in multiple components. You can either make this from scratch or buy a good brand from your grocery store (I prefer the La Salamandra brand myself). Now some of y'all might be shocked, but I actually went the cake-box-route, which I absolutely never do. But, I find this type of cake most conducive for the soaking method. Every time I soaked a homemade, high-quality cake... it always turned out grainy + soggy, not moist and de-lush-cious. I will say though, you still make a great cake from box mixes!! I do this buy subbing in some heavy cream and coffee liqueur, and boosting the flavor with pudding, vanilla, and salt. It turns out great every time, AND it takes much less time--yippee!! Don't get too excited though, I have ya busy doing a whole bunch of homemade toppings (sorry about that, it's so worth it in the end). Just promise me one thing... don't leave out the potato chips. Okay? Deal? Deal!! Enjoy :)

For the Salted Caramel Whipped Cream:

1C Heavy Cream

2T Sugar

½C Dulce de Leche 

Pinch of Salt (or to taste)

1t Vanilla

For the Dulce de Leche Soaking Cream:

1 Can of Sweetened, Condensed Milk

1C Dulce de Leche

1t Vanilla + Bourbon

Pinch of Salt

For the Dark Chocolate Cake:

2 Boxes of Triple Fudge Chocolate Cake

1 Box of Dark Chocolate Pudding

1C Vegetable Oil

6 Eggs, Beaten

2C Heavy Cream (or Buttermilk) + 1C Kahlua Coffee Liqueur

1t Vanilla

1t Salt

1 Bag of Heath Bar Toffee Bits

Cape Cod Ruffled Potato Chips, For Topping

Homemade Chocolate Ganache or Chocolate Syrup, For Drizzling

For the Salty Bourbon Caramel Sauce:

1C Sugar + ¼C Water

½C Heavy Cream

1t Smoked Sea Salt

1T Bourbon

For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream:

8oz Mascarpone Cheese

½C Confectioners’ Sugar

Pinch of Salt

1t Vanilla

1 ½C Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:

1. Prepping for the Salted Caramel Whipped Cream: The night before you make the cake, heat a small pot over medium-low heat. Add in the heavy cream, sugar, dulce de leche, & a pinch of salt to taste and whisk constantly until the dulce de leche has dissolved into the cream and has become smooth (it should be a light khaki color). Remove the heat from the pan and add vanilla extract. Pour this dulce de leche infused cream into and container and let it chill overnight.

2. Firstly, make sure the cream is thoroughly chilled. Add it into the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip on high-speed until a fluffy, yet thick whipped cream. Season it with some sugar, vanilla extract, and salt if needed (really it’s up to your tastes).

3. For the Dulce de Leche Soaking Liquid:  In a saucepan, heat the sweetened condensed milk over medium heat. Add in the dulce de leche and whisk until it has completely melted into the milk. Add in the vanilla, bourbon, and a pinch of salt and whisk until combined. Turn off the heat and continue whisking.

4. For the Dark Chocolate Cake: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the two boxes of cake mix and pudding mix. Quickly add in the vegetable oil, eggs, heavy cream, coffee liqueur, vanilla, and salt. Mix until everything is just combined and a smooth batter is formed. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam and pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until the cake is cooked through, but not overcooked. Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes, and then using a straw, poke the cake full with holes and pour the slightly warm dulce de leche soaking liquid over the cake evenly. Let it soak for 4 hours before assembling the rest of it.

5. For the Salted Caramel Sauce: In a large saucepan, bring it up to medium-high heat. Pour in sugar and water, and whisk until the sugar begins to melt and the lumps dissolve. Let this simmer until the sugar begins to turn a light caramel color, at this point add in the salt. Finally, take the pan off the heat, and pour in the heavy cream (once again, it will bubble, but just keep stirring) and stir until it is a smooth, consistent sauce. Add in the bourbon and return the caramel to the heat for another minute or so. Pour this caramel into a bowl and set aside.

6. For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream: In a mixing bowl, combine the mascarpone, confectioners’ Sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir together until smooth and set it aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. And then, gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until combined.

7. Assembling the Cake: Once the cake has cooled & soaked, sprinkle the top of the cake with half of a bag of heath bar toffee bits. Spread the top with mascarpone whipped cream  + salted caramel whipped cream, and then drizzle with the salted caramel bourbon caramel sauce and chocolate ganache (or store bought fudge sauce). Swirl the two sauces together with the two whipped creams. Once again, sprinkle the top with the other half of the bag of toffee bits. Push the ruffled chips into the whipped cream, so that they stay up and the cake has a jagged top. Again, drizzle the top with more salted caramel sauce + chocolate ganache. Place into the refrigerator and chill for 1-2 hours or until you are ready to serve.

8. Cut the cake into square servings and enjoy!!

Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing & Toasted Coconut

Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing & Toasted Coconut

The last recipe that I made for my Cinco de Mayo week is a Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing & Toasted Coconut Topping. I love traditional tres leches cake, but I knew that I wanted to add coconut to it and make it even better. So, I substituted some coconut milk into the milk soaking liquid for extra coconut-y flavor, as well as added in coconut extract into the cake. Recently, I have seen recipes for coconut milk whipped cream, and I definitely wanted to make some of that to fold into the traditional whipped topping that goes on the cake. The last component that is definitely needed is a thick layer of toasted coconut. Typically, tres leches cakes are topped with maraschino cherries, but you can't do that on a coconut cake. No no no. Just no. So, make this cake and enjoy it will all your buddies this weekend while you're sippin' on some margaritas, like we did last night in celebration of summer... here is the picture of all of our drinks!! Enjoy :)

Bucket o' Beers, 2 Shots of Tequila, & a Pineapple Mojito 

Make this for your Cinco de Mayo parties this weekend!

For the Cake:

1C AP Flour

1 ½t Baking Powder

¼t Salt

5 Egg Yolks + 5 Egg Whites

¾C + ¼C Sugar

1t Vanilla & Coconut Extract

1/3C Whole Milk

For the Soaking Liquid:

15oz Can of Coconut Milk

12oz Sweetened, Condensed Milk

¼C Heavy Cream

For the Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing:

1 Pint of Heavy Cream, Very Cold

¼C Sugar

15oz Can of Coconut Milk, Refrigerated Overnight

Shredded Coconut, Toasted

Directions:

1. For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9inch pan, and then set it aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat the egg yolks with ¾C sugar on high speed until the yolks are a pale yellow. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and coconut extract. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined. Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in the remaining ¼C sugar and beat until the egg whites are stiff, but not dry. Fold the egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and spread to even out the surface. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool completely.
2. For the Soaking Liquid: Whisk together the coconut milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When the cake is cool, pierce the surface of the cake with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle 1C of the milk mixture all over the cake, making sure to get as much around the edges as possible (discard the remaining milk mixture or make a second cake). Cover the cake with plastic wrap and allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture overnight.
3. For the Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing: Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator and chill overnight. The next day, open the cake of coconut milk, and then scoop out the firm, waxy layer that has solidified at the top into the bowl of a standing mixer (discard the coconut water). Beat the coconut cream on high speed and whip the cream for 3-5 minutes or until it becomes fluffy, light, and has soft peaks. Refrigerate the whipped coconut cream until you are ready to fold it into the other cream mixture. Next, beat the heavy cream and sugar, on high speed, until it’s very stiff and spreadable, about 1-2 minutes. Fold the chilled coconut cream into the sweetened whipped cream until incorporated and completely smooth (don’t work with this mixture too much or hard because it will lose all of the airiness from beating it). Spread the Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing over the surface of the chilled cake. When the cake is ready to serve, spread the toasted coconut in an even layer over the surface of the icing or garnish each individual slice with toasted coconut.
4. Cut the cake into squares and serve with toasted coconut, and then enjoy!

source: tres leches cake. 

Birthday Cake Batter Ice Cream with Gooey Butter Cake Bites & Rainbow Buttercream Pieces

As I sit outside in the hot weather, I'm totally hating that I have to be at school all day. It's literally 85 degrees and perfect for a day out at the beach. Instead of focusing on classes, all I can think about is some fruity cocktails and some yummy ice cream. But, unfortunately for me, I'm enjoying a tall glass of a protein smoothie with a side of carrots. Delicious, right? Absolutely not. So, as I sit here and pity myself, I knew that I just had to post my recipe for Birthday Cake Batter Ice Cream with Gooey Butter Cake Bites & Rainbow Buttercream Pieces. I have this ice cream sitting in my freezer at home and I all that's running through my mind is how I can get my hands on some it. But, I can't... or at least not until 6:30. This amazing ice cream is a cake batter custard base, which is usually enough on its own. No no no, that will not work for me, I have to add in wayyyy more stuff. So I baked up a gooey butter cake and cut it into little cubes and tossed those in. Next, I made homemade buttercream and dyed it with all colors of the rainbow and froze them. Once they were solid and slightly hard, I tossed those into the base as well. Lastly, you gotta add some rainbow sprinkles because it would not be birthday cake without some damn sprinkles. This ice cream is a technicolor dream. It's literally the best treat you can have at the end of a long, hot day. If you're a sucker for cake batter, make it. Make it now. And once you make it, put a big scoop on an sugar cone and go at it (before it melts all over your hands). You'll seriously be in heaven!! Enjoy :)

Birthday Cake Batter Ice Cream in a Cone

Starting to melt...

Birthday Cake Batter Ice Cream with Gooey Butter Cake Bites & Rainbow Buttercream Pieces

So excited to dig in to his ice cream after a day at the beach!

For the Gooey Butter Cake Chunks:

1 Box of Golden Butter Cake Mix

1 Egg

1 Stick of Butter, Melted

2T Milk

8oz Cream Cheese, Softened

2 Eggs

1 Box of Confectioners’ Sugar

1t Vanilla

For the Rainbow Buttercream Pieces:

1C Homemade Icing (either Buttercream or cream cheese)

Different Color Dyes (for the rainbow effect)

For the Cake Batter Ice Cream:

4C Heavy Cream, Divided

1C White Cake Mix

1C Sugar

¼t Salt

6 Egg Yolks 

1T Vanilla

3C Whole Milk

2C Prepared Gooey Butter Cake Chunks

Prepared Rainbow Buttercream Pieces

½-1C Rainbow Sprinkles

Directions:

1. For the Gooey Butter Cake Chunks: Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a pan with Pam, then set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, egg, melted butter, and milk until combined. Press the dough into the prepared pan, so that there is an even layer. In another mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Pour over the cake. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes until the middle has barely set (do not over bake). Let the cake completely cool before cutting into bite size chunks. Set the cake chunks aside until you are ready to fold them in to the cake base.
2. For the Rainbow Buttercream Pieces: To prepare your Buttercream to be used in the ice cream, put a small amount in a piping bag and pipe Buttercream lines onto a cutting board covered in cling film. I used different colored dyes to make different batches of rainbow icing; however, you can just chose one color if you like. Put the cutting board in the freezer for an hour or two so the icing can freeze.  Using a sharp knife, cut the Buttercream icing lines into 1/2 inch (approx 1cm) pieces, transfer to a small dish and pop them back in the freezer until you’re ready to fold them into the ice cream base.
3. For the Cake Batter Ice Cream: In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the heavy cream with the white cake mix, sugar, and salt.  Heat over medium heat until warmed through.  Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.  Combine the remaining heavy cream, vanilla, and whole milk in a large mixing bowl with a fine mesh sieve set over the top. When the mixture in the saucepan is warm, slowly pour a small amount into the bowl with the egg yolks to temper them, whisking constantly.  Continue pouring the cream mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously until completely combined.  Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat.  Continue heating, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens slightly and reads 170-175˚F on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately pour the custard mixture through the mesh sieve into the bowl with the remaining cream and milk and mix to blend.  Cover and chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  Once the mixture is chilled through, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. At the end of the freezing process, fold in the gooey butter cake chunks, rainbow Buttercream pieces, and sprinkles until the ingredients are mixed throughout. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for at least 3 hours before enjoying.

source: cake batter ice cream. birthday cake batter ice cream.

Coca Cola Cake

Everybody's heard of it. I feel like everyone has probably had it too. It's Coca Cola Cake. A classic southern cake that I was raised on. My mom made this cake all the time. It's simple and easy to make. And well, it used possibly my favorite thing in the world, Coke. I was mildly obsessed with coke for a while. I could go through a 12 pack a day. I finally kicked that habit (all carbonation actually), but I miss it dearly. Everyday I want one of those cold coke cans, ugh just talking about it makes me want one. So let's get beyond that... back to the cake. I love the coke-caramely flavor that it lends, while the cake isn't super sweet or chocolatey. And the frosting is just so yummy. Maybe I will just make a pan of the frosting and eat it with a spoon. Well, I know this recipe is nothing new, but if you haven't made it or had it, definitely do... it's scrumptious!

Classic Coca Cola Cake

For the Cake:

1C Coke

½C Buttermilk

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

1 ¾C Sugar

2t Vanilla

2C AP Flour

¼C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1t Baking Soda

1 ½C Mini Marshmallows

For the Coke Frosting:

1 Stick of Butter

1/3C Coke

3T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

16oz Confectioners’ Sugar

1T Vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9inch pan with Pam, and then set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the coke and buttermilk. In another bowl, beat the butter at a slow speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add in the eggs and vanilla, and beat at a low speed until blended. In one more bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
3. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture into the butter mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at a low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in the marshmallows. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
5. To Make the Coke Frosting: bring the first three ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla. Use immediately by pouring over the warm coke cake.
6. Let the cake cool and the frosting set before cutting & serving. 

*Please check out, Sweets for a Saturday for my link, as well as many others!!