Tag: recipe

Skinny Black Forest "Better Than Sex" Cake

Yeah. I said it. BETTER THAN SEX Cake.

I can’t tell you how much it irritates me when people dance around the true title of a poke cake recipe. ‘Better than… Cake’? Better than what? Better than candy? Better than a new pair of shoes? No. It’s BETTER THAN SEX. Let’s get it right. BETTER THAN SEX.

What can I say? I love a good poke cake. They are the perfect way to mask the fact that a cake is in fact… skinny! How’s that? Because with the pudding left to soak into the cake, it gives the illusion of a decadent richness that you wouldn’t expect with a lighter variation of any dessert. It makes the cake seem a lot more naughty than it actually is.

So how did I make this skinny? Well, I used an old trick or two! I substituted greek yogurt for the egg and oil usually added to a boxed cake mix, and I also swapped the water for cherry juice. It is a Black Forest Cake, after all.

Tada! Perfection. No egg, no oil, no fuss.

I also used a sugar free fat free cheesecake flavored pudding mix in lieu of the traditional sweetened condensed milk that most BETTER THAN SEX Cakes call for. Why? Well, less calories and I also wanted to give the rich creamy flavor that goes along with a Black Forest Cake.

That’s right, just under 130 calories in a fairly sized piece of this bad boy – making this a great idea for a valentine dessert! Your sweetheart will never guess that it’s skinny in any way, shape, or form.

Skinny Black Forest (Better Than Sex) Cake
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 18 • Size: 1/18th of Cake • Calories: 128.6 • Fat: 0.8 g • Carb: 26.8 g • Fiber: 0.7 g • Protein: 3.2 g • Sugar: 13.4 g • Sodium: 359.7 mg

Ingredients:
1 Box Devil’s Food Cake Mix (16.25 Oz.)
1 C. Diet Black Cherry Juice
6 Oz. Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt
1 C. Frozen Pitted Cherries, Thawed
Fat Free Cool Whip, Thawed
2 C. Fat Free or Skim Milk
2 (3.4 Oz. Ea.) ‘Cheesecake’ Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Pudding

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly spray the inside of a 13×9 baking pan with non-stick cooking or baking spray.

Combine the cake mix, cherry juice, and yogurt together until well blended.

Add in the cherries and stir to combine.

Scoop the batter to the prepared baking dish.

Yes, the mix is a little thicker than your typical cake batter.

Bake for 26-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Carefully remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Once the cake is nearly cooled, combine the pudding mix and milk together in a medium bowl until just starting to thicken. You do not want it to set fully.

Using the end of a wooden spoon, or whatever method of your choosing, poke several holes among the cake.

Pour the pudding mixture over the top and smooth out evenly, allowing the filling to sink into the holes in the cake.

Cover the cake and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but overnight is best!

Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes prior to serving, to with the cool whip and any additional toppings you may desire.

I used dark chocolate chips, dried cherries, and a drizzle of sugar free chocolate syrup.

Cut evenly into 19 pieces. Serve and enjoy!

Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Any longer than that and it turns into a mushy mess.

DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

I’m on a serious chocolate kick lately and what better way to eat chocolate than via homemade truffles?! They’re rich, creamy and super easy. It’s simple to customize them for upcoming holidays too- sprinkle candy hearts on top and give to your Valentine! You can also add flavorings or essential oil to the inside and coordinating sprinkles on top. I give some suggestions below. Have fun with it and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Inside: Make the “Best Chocolate Ganache EVER” recipe we posted previously. This is best done a couple hours or even the day (or week!) before you’re ready to make truffles, since the chocolate needs to be cold (solid.) I posted the recipe here, but you might want to take a look at the Ganache post here to see more elaborate instructions, along with pictures.

16 oz semi-sweet chocolate {roughly 2 2/3 cup}**
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter

** You can use more dark chocolate than semi-sweet too. See note on ganache post that goes into more details!

Instructions to make Ganache:
1. Pour chocolate in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. {Note: if you want to add extracts or flavorings, add them to the chocolate in the bowl. Here are some ideas: 1/2 tsp almond, cherry or raspberry extract, 1 drop of lemon or peppermint essential oil, etc.}

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in cream when butter is just about melted.

3. Increase heat slightly and using a whisk, stir constantly, but gently. Heat until mixture just barely comes to a boil.

4. Pour over chocolate in bowl. Begin stirring gently, combining the chocolate with the butter-cream mixture. After just a minute or two of stirring, all the chocolate is melted and you’ve got a smooth chocolate gananche! Pour into a deep container- I used a small tupperware bowl with 3-4″ sides. That’s an estimate- I didn’t measure.

Refrigerate until solid. You’ll only use about half this ganache recipe for 2 dozen truffles. Use the rest on brownies, a cake, etc! Or you can make a ton of truffles!

Dipping Chocolate: {shown above}

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 TBSP shortening

Combine ingredients in a small bowl {remember- you’ll be dipping truffles in this chocolate, so it’s best to use a smaller, deeper bowl like the one above.} Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir gently. Microwave another 15-45 seconds, until mixture is melted and smooth when stirred.

I topped mine with drizzled white chocolate and more semi-sweet chocolate. If you’d like to do this as well, put 1/4 cup chocolate chips in a small ziplock bag. Microwave about 1 minute, until melted. Snip a tiny corner off the bag.

Truffle Instructions:

Put a plate or a quarter cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes. Take out and cover with a piece of parchment.

Using a melon-baller, scoop out balls of hardened ganache. Try to keep the balls as round as possible. It’s okay to have a flat side since you’ll need to set the truffles up after dipping them. They don’t have to be perfect though, since you’ll be covering them with chocolate.

You’ll want to keep the ganache from warming up too much, so I scooped out about 7-8 truffles, then dipped them in the melted chocolate. There is no amazing way of dipping them- the shortening will thin the chocolate out a bit, so it will be easier. I used my fingers and dipped the flat side of my truffles first, then rotated it around in the chocolate. Don’t worry- any imperfections will be hidden when you drizzle chocolate on top (or sprinkle with candy, sprinkles, etc.) Mine were not perfect, so I went ahead and let my husband know they were Artisan Truffles. 😉

Transfer dipped truffle to chilled plate/ tray. Working in batches of 7-8 truffles, like I mentioned above, dip truffles, set on the chilled tray, then when they’re all dipped, add sprinkles and/or chocolate drizzle on top.

Cool completely and ENJOY!

Use a melon-baller to scoop out truffles. If you want them to be more-round, you can roll them in your hands as well. I don’t think this is necessary though- once they’re covered in chocolate they all look the same!

Once you have a batch of truffles coated in chocolate, you can drizzle more chocolate on top, or top with sprinkles, etc! Have fun with it!

I alternated white chocolate with more dark chocolate. Yum. The somewhat bitterness of the ganache inside balances out the sweetness of the dipping chocolate which makes it AMAZING.

FUDGE & TOFFEE FILLED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS

WELCOME TO ANOTHER MONTH OF 2 SWEETIE PIES!! I LOVE THIS DAY! MY BLOGGING BUDDY LIZZIE (FROM THAT SKINNY CHICK CAN BAKE) AND I EACH BAKE FROM THE OTHER’S BLOG AND SURPRISE EACH OTHER…AND YOU-WITH WHAT WE MADE!!! THIS MONTH I MADE LIZZY’S FUDGE AND TOFFEE FILLED CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS. UMMMM…..YES, YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW INCREDIBLE THEY WERE. I USE THE WORD “WERE” BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL GONE…AND THEIR DISAPPEARANCE WAS FAST!!!!

Fudge and Toffee Filled Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients

Adapted from That Skinny Chick Can Bake via Buns in My Oven

Cookie dough:

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Fudge layer:

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 bag (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
15 (4 ounces) fun size Heath bars, cut into chunks (I used 4 ounces of Heath pre-crushed bits)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º.
Line an 8×8 baking dish with non stick foil.
Make cookie dough by creaming butter and sugar, then mixing in egg. Mix in flour, salt and baking soda, then chocolate chips.
Press about 2/3 of dough into the bottom of the pan. Use offset spatula to evenly cover bottom of pan with dough.
Melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth.
Spread melted chocolate over the cookie dough.
Sprinkle Heath bar chunks over melted chocolate.
Take
spoonfuls of remaining dough and drop over chocolate layer. Carefully
spread out lumps of dough with spatula. It will not totally cover
chocolate.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until set & golden.
Remove from oven and cool. Chill before cutting.
Yield: 16 bars

You can also visit Lizzie on:

Facebook

Pinterest

Google +

Twitter