Cameron’s 10 Days of Christmas, Day 1
On the first day of Christmas my true gourmet gave to me…some great Christmas dessert ideas!
Much like the my party post I probably should have posted this on the 8th or 9th day of Christmas but I really wanted to save dessert for last. And these desserts are spectacular! They are delicious, scrumptious and bad for the waistline! These are great for the day of and for any event around the year or at Christmas parties and family get-together’s this weekend. Some of these recipes are easy and some of these recipes are rather difficult. But they are all fun and they all taste amazing. Try a few of them today!
Egg Nog Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
1 cup Graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
Filling
12 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ounce rum (optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Topping
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cream sherry (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for crust until Graham cracker crumbs are completely saturated with butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate using a fork, until bottom and sides are covered.
Bake crust for 8 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, rum and nutmeg with an electric mixer until smooth and satiny. Pour into the pre-baked crust. Return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until center of the pie is soft set. It will jiggle slightly in the middle.
While pie is baking make the topping. Mix sour cream, sugar and sherry until combined.
Remove pie from oven and pour the sour cream mixture evenly over the top, spreading to the edges of the filling. Return pie to the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer.
Cool completely, cover lightly, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Before serving, sprinkle on some additional grated nutmeg.
Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes with Mocha Sauce
Ingredients
4 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate (60-75% cacao), coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into chunks
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light cream
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or granules dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water, divided
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1-3 teaspoons very hot water
Recipe Directions
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Generously coat the mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
Place chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. (Alternatively, see “No Microwave?” below.) Microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until the remaining chocolate melts completely.
To prepare filling: Stir together granulated sugar, cream and half the espresso mixture in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High just to steaming, 20 to 40 seconds. (Alternatively, combine in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until just steaming.) Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add corn syrup and half the melted chocolate (reserve the other half for the batter); stir until completely smooth. Cover and transfer to the freezer until cold and firm, about 30 minutes.
To prepare batter: When the filling has been chilling for 20 minutes, whisk egg, oil, vanilla, salt and the remaining espresso mixture in a medium bowl until very smooth. Return the remaining chocolate mixture to the microwave. Microwave on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until just warm again (do not overheat). In two batches, whisk the egg mixture into the warm chocolate until well blended. Sift confectioners’ sugar, flour and cocoa over the batter and whisk in just until smoothly incorporated.
To assemble cakes: Remove the filling from the freezer. Spoon half the batter into the mini muffin cups, about 1 rounded teaspoon per cup. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon filling onto the center of each (reserve the rest for the sauce). Divide the remaining batter evenly among the muffin cups, about 1 rounded teaspoon per cake. Smooth out the batter to cover the filling.
Bake the cakes on the middle rack until the edges look dry and puffed but the centers still look very underdone and puddinglike, 6 to 9 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack until firm, about 2 minutes. Place a cutting board on top of the pan and invert the mini cakes out onto it. If the cakes are stuck to the pan, run a knife around and under them to loosen.
To prepare sauce & serve: Thoroughly stir very hot water into the reserved filling, 1 teaspoon at a time, until very smooth and slightly fluid. Serve the warm cakes drizzled with the sauce.
Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square pan.
Cream the butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the molasses and sour cream. Add eggs, continuing to beat until well-blended.
In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger. Add to the wet ingredients and beat just until smooth.
Pour into the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
Remember to enjoy good food, good friends, and good conversation. Happy Holidays!
