Posts Tagged: elegant

Chocolate Cake w/Beets: Not Quite Red Velvet, But Delicious!

A search for a naturally-colored “Red Velvet” cake led to this delicious dessert. Alas, experiments using beets to recreate the beautiful, rich red color of the classic Red Velvet Cake proved futile, but a wonderful “Chocolate” cake was discovered in the process. For homemakers looking for ways to incorporate more healthy ingredients into the family’s…

Pesto Torta: Fave Appetizer, Perfect for Buffet Table

The Pesto Torta holds up well for big events, keeping at room temperature for hours. It can be assembled the day before, and the pesto can be made ahead of time, as it stores well in the freezer. Serve with crackers or sliced baguettes, and if there happens to be any left over, it will…

Chocolate Mousse Cream: Paleo Style Dessert, & Low-Glycemic

Gelatin is a common ingredient in mousses, but some object to the flavor. This creamy dessert is held together using coconut oil instead, which firms up some when cooled. This mousse melts in your mouth! For an extra light dessert, chill a can of coconut cream; whip half of it and fold it into the…

Baked Fish, Zucchini & Carrots, w/ Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Baking is one of the easiest ways to prepare fish. For a quick meal, set on a bed of grated carrots and zucchini (or other favorites). Being grated, the veggies will cook about as quickly as the fish; the whole package can be wrapped in foil (or parchment), and popped in the oven. I’ve also…

Punch: Easy, Healthy, 100% Fruit Juice (Frozen) + Soda Water

No-Corn-Syrup-Natural-Punch

It’s great to have a simple, refreshing, natural punch recipe on hand when feeding a crowd. This non-alcoholic, healthy punch recipe still tastes great. And it’s HFCS-free! (No high fructose corn syrup, that is.) Change it up by using different frozen juice concentrates, although the raspberry is very delicious. Serves 6-8, but multiplies easily. INGREDIENTS…

Chocolate Genoise Cake w/ Pistachio Marzipan, Mousse Filling

This is an elegant cake for special occasions. The génoise-style sponge cake is pretty dry, which means that after baking, it will soak up the simple raspberry juice concentrate that’s brushed between the layers, without getting soggy. With this recipe, most of the pistachios are finely processed; a bit of sugar and butter are added…

Easy Fondant for Two-Layer Cake, Using 10 oz. Marshmallows

Pink birthday cake decorated w/ dipped marshmallows on a stick

One might add different flavorings, or tint the fondant. Some recipes call for corn syrup and salt, which doesn’t seem necessary. (Using salted butter adds sufficient flavor.) This particular cake was “Baba Rum” (alcohol-free version, recipe here). It was cut into layers which were spread with strawberry puree and whipped chocolate cream. When making a…

Grated Chocolate Torte, Mousse-filled, w/Ground Almonds

Call this “Great Chocolate Torte” for short! Originally, the recipe called for a bar of chocolate, hand-grated. For convenience, chocolate chips may be substituted, “grated” by chopping in a small electric coffee/spice grinder. This is a flour-free recipe, using toasted bread crumbs and almond meal instead, combined for a great texture. With an easy mousse…

Chocolate Truffle Cake, Non-Alcohol Version (No Kahlua)

This extra-rich, decadently chocolate cake is also a quick and easy recipe, with a minimum of ingredients. The original recipe called for Kahlua liqueur (see recipe here), but this version saves money; just use a homemade blend of espresso and maple syrup. The original recipe called for a cup of espresso and a 1/4 c….

Chocolate Truffle Cake w/Kahlua: Easy Torte

Eggs, Butter, Chocolate, Coffee: Easy Chocolate Torte

This torte a minimum of ingredients–a super easy recipe. There’s not even gluten in it, for those looking for gluten-free. It is traditionally made with Kahlua; for a non-alcohol version, see this page. If the 10″ pan is not available, smaller sizes can be used; just cook the cake longer. It won’t set up as…