Chocolate Cherry Cake Truffles Food

CHOCOLATE CHERRY TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cherries and brandy; cover and let soak for 1 hour or until cherries are softened., Place dark chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Stir in extract and soaked cherries with liquid. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm., Shape into 1-in. balls. Place on baking sheets; cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour., In a microwave, melt milk chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip half of the balls into milk chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set., Melt dark chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip remaining balls into dark chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Drizzle with melted chocolate and decorate with pearl dust as desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY TRUFFLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave filling ingredients uncovered on High 25 to 35 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, butter, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, the eggs and pudding mix with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. With rubber spatula, fold in cherries. Spoon half of the batter into pan; spread evenly.
• Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; immediately drop spoonfuls of filling over batter, keeping filling away from sides of pan and pressing down lightly. Carefully spoon remaining batter over top; spread evenly. Bake 42 to 47 minutes longer or until toothpick inserted near center comes out almost clean and cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Loosen cake with knife around center and edges of pan. Turn cake upside down onto cooling rack or heatproof serving plate. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat all glaze ingredients except 1 teaspoon milk over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in up to 1 teaspoon milk if necessary for glazing consistency. Pour glaze over cake, allowing some to drizzle down sides. If desired, garnish cake with white chocolate curls and whole cherries. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE I

Steps:

• Combine cake mix, cherry pie filling, and three eggs. Mix until well blended.
• Bake in well greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes.
• To Make Frosting: Combine sugar, butter or margarine, and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook 1 minute.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in chocolate pieces until melted and smooth.
• Frost when cake is cool.

CHERRY-CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In medium saucepan, combine semisweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and half-and-half. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes.
• With wire whisk, beat butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, into chocolate until smooth and creamy. Beat in cherries and liqueur. Cover; refrigerate 1 1/2 hours, stirring twice, or until mixture is thick and can be molded.
• Spread grated baking bar on sheet of waxed paper. Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture over grated baking bar; roll each to coat and shape into rough ball. For variety, roll some of the chocolate mixture in cocoa. Place truffles in candy cups. Refrigerate until serving time.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY TRUFFLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350*F. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan. In medium microwavable bowl, mix filling ingredients. Microwave on High 25 to 35 seconds,stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth; set aside.
• In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cake mix, water, oil, 1/2 tsp almond extract, the eggs and pudding mix on low speed about 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. With rubber spatula, fold in cherries. Spoon batter into pan, spreading evenly. Carefully spoon filling in ring over batter, being careful not to let filling touch sides of pan.
• Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted 1 inch from inside edge of pan comes out clean and top of cake feels firm to the touch and cake pulls away slightly from side of pan. Cool 15 minutes.
• Invert onto heatproof serving plate. Remove pan and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In a 1 quart saucepan, heat all glaze ingredients except 1 tsp milk over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in up to 1 tsp of milk, if necessary, for glazing consistency. Pour glaze over cake, allowing some to drizzle down sides. Garnish with white chocolate curls and additional cherries if desired. Store loosely covered in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY TRUFFLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Crust:.
• Combine cherries and port in a small bowl. Let stand at least 30 minutes (do not drain).
• In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening, salt, egg, vanilla and sugar until fluffy.
• Sift in flour and cocoa, mixing until incorporated.
• Fold in cherries and liquid. The dough should resemble a chocolate chip cookie.
• Spread dough into the bottom of a greased and parchment-lined 10" spring-form pan and freeze 1 hour.
• Bake at 400 °F for 20 minutes or until just firm. Set aside to cool.
• Filling:.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and wrap the outside of the spring-form pan with foil.
• Melt together the chocolates and condensed milk. Cool slightly.
• In a food processor, puree cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, tofu and salt until smooth. Add chocolate and beat until combined.
• Pour mixture onto prepared crust.
• Spoon dollops of pureed pie filling onto the cheese mixture and swirl lightly with a knife.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour or until filling is set.
• Refrigerate, covered, at least 8 hours or overnight.

CHEESECAKE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
• Combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract in a bowl and whip using an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 hour; refrigerate for at least 3 hours more.
• Scoop cheesecake into small balls using a melon baller or a tablespoon-sized scoop. Place on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Freeze cheesecake balls, 8 hours to overnight.
• Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Stir in shortening until consistency is smooth and easy to work with.
• Dip each cheesecake ball into chocolate to coat; replace on the cookie sheet. Garnish with sliced almonds while chocolate is still warm.
• Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY TRIFLE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set., Place half of the cake cubes in a 4-qt. trifle or glass bowl. Top with half each of the pudding, pie filling, pineapple and whipped topping. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate leftovers.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY TRUFFLE TART

Steps:

• For Filling:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out tart crust dough on lightly floured work surface to 13x10-inch rectangle. Transfer to 11x8-inch rectangular tart pan with removable bottom, pressing dough firmly into place. Fold overhang in and press, forming double-thick sides. Freeze crust 15 minutes.
• Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until crust is golden brown and baked through, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to rack and cool crust.
• Combine preserves and 2 tablespoons water in heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until preserves melt. Strain in medium bowl, pressing firmly on solids to extract liquid. Discard any solids in strainer.
• Combine cream, butter and 1/4 cup preserve mixture in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until butter melts. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove form heat. Cool 15 minutes.
• Spread chocolate mixture evenly into crust, Refrigerate until almost set, about 20 minutes.
• Arrange cherries decoratively over chocolate, pressing slightly to adhere. Rewarm remaining preserve mixture over low heat. Brush generously over cherries. Chill until chocolate sets, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
• For Crust:
• Mix flour, powdered sugar and salt in processor. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix egg yolks and water in small bowl. Add to flour mixture and process until moist clumps form.
• Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk for round tart or into square for rectangular tart. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let dough soften briefly at room temperature before rolling out.)
• Garnish tart with mint and serve.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with olive oil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder until evenly distributed and no lumps remain. To a separate large bowl, add the 1/2 cup oil, eggs, milk, almond extract and salt and whisk until smooth, at least 30 seconds. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the last streak of flour disappears.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and tap gently against the counter to pop excess air bubbles. Bake until a skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.
• Microwave the cherry preserves in a small bowl in 30-second intervals or in a small saucepan over medium heat until looser and slightly liquidy. Spread the preserves evenly over the cooled cake.
• Make the frosting: In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder and salt and pour over the hot water. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, whisk until smooth. Add the heavy cream and continue whisking until billowy soft peaks form. When you turn the whisk upside-down, a peak of cream should flop over slightly like a Santa hat. Spread the frosting over the cake and, if using, garnish with the cherries. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.