Heart-Shaped Red Velvet Cake with Strawberry Filling

Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 TBSP cocoa
1.5 oz red food coloring
1 tsp salt
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp soda
1 TBSP vinegar

Cake Preparation:
Cream butter and sugar together gradually.
Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition.
Make paste of cocoa and food coloring, mix well; add to creamed mixture.
In separate bowl, add salt, flour and vanilla alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
Sprinkle baking soda over vinegar, then pour mixture over batter.
Stir until thoroughly mixed.
Bake in two 9-inch square greased & floured (or wax paper lined) pans for 30 minutes at 350°F.
Cool on wire rack completely.
Remove cakes from pans, wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least three hours(cold cakes will be easier to cut and ice).

Wilton's Strawberry Filling:
Filling Ingredients:
1 pkg (16 ounces) thawed frozen sliced strawberries (or frozen raspberries or crushed canned pineapple)
1/3 cup sugar
3 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
Makes: 2 cups of filling.

Filling Instructions:
Drain strawberries; reserving liquid.
Add enough water to liquid to equal 1 1/4 cups.
In large saucepan, combine strawberry liquid, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice; mix well.
Heat and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Turn heat off.
Cool completely.
Add in the strawberries to cooled liquid
Refrigerate until ready to use.



Assembly Instructions:
Take a piece of paper 9 inches square, fold down the middle on the diagonal. Sketch half a heart on the paper and then cut it out. Open it up and see if you like the proportions of your heart pattern. If not, try again with a new piece of paper.
Once cakes are cold, remove from refrigerator.
Using a long bladed, sharp knife slice off tops to make them flat
Next place the paper pattern on one cake, holding it in place with a few toothpicks, and slice the edges off your cake, following the edges of your pattern. Repeat with other cake.
Using a short and sharp knife and staying about inch away from the edges, hollow out a heart-shaped impression that goes only half an inch deep into each cake. This is where the filling will go.
Set one of the cakes on a platter and build up about half an inch of chocolate frosting along the edges.
Gently spread as much filling as you can into center.
Top with other cake, making sure its heart-shaped depression goes down facing the filling.
Frost outsides and top of cake with chocolate frosting.
Keep refrigerated at least over night before serving.

Romantic Chocolate Triffle

Ingredients:

3 cups cold milk
2 small packages chocolate instant pudding
1 tub of 8-oz COOL WHIP French Vanilla Whipped Topping (thawed)
1 already baked 9-inch square brownie layer, cooled and crumbled into 1-inch pieces
1 pt. (2 cups) raspberries

Proceedure:

Beat milk and dry pudding mixes in large bowl with wire whisk about 2 minutes until blended. Let set in refrigerator at least 3 hours.
Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping.
Evenly lay out half of the brownies pieces in a 2-qt. glass serving bowl, punch bowl or triffle bowl Top with half of the pudding
Top with half of the whipped topping
Top with half of the berries
Top with the rest of the brownie pieces
Top with the rest of the pudding
Top with the rest of the whipped topping
Top with the rest of the berries
REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Thank you Kraft for this delicious recipe

Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients-
18 oz semisweet chocolate
2 cups very cold heavy cream
6 eggs
2 TBSP powdered sugar
2 TBSP Creme de Cacao
1 TBSP vanilla

Proceedure-

Melt the chocolate over hot water or very slowly under low heat, stirring constantly.

While the chocolate cools, whip the cream on high until it forms medium-stiff peaks. Do not overbeat.

Separate 4 of the eggs and set the whites aside.

In a bowl, mix those 4 yolks with the 2 remaining whole eggs. Beat until eggs are thick and bright yellow, about 5 minutes.

Put the 4 egg whites that you set aside in a bowl and whisk until the whites start to stiffen.

Sprinkle the powdered sugar into the egg whites and beat until you have firm peaks.

Working quickly, add the cooled melted chocolate and a scoop of the whipped cream to the egg yolks. Stir until smooth, then add the remaining cream.

When it is fully blended, add the liqueur and vanilla.

Then fold in the whites until just blended.

Pour mousse into small individual serving dishes.

Chill at least 4 hours or overnight

Optional - Top with sliced fresh strawberries or other berries and more whipped cream

COUNTERFEIT FERRERO ROCHER BONBONS SEIZED

One of today's MSN.com headlines caught my eye. French officials seized 10 tons of bon bons that were fake Ferrero Rochers. They shipped into France from Turkey. That's 33,000 boxes of candy. That's $312,000 worth of yummy. Ferrero Rocher tested the fakes and declared them low quality imposters. The article says they will be destroyed.

The bonbons have been tested and are safe to eat. Can I sign up to help "destroy" them? People who commented on the article at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28366872/ made a very good point - they should be handed out for free to the poor. Throwing away perfectly safe food when people are starving is plain stupid, almost selfish!

That's my two cents!

CAROL'S CHAMBORD BROWNIES

These brownies are OMG delicious!

Ingredients for bottom/brownie layer:

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 can Hershey's syrup
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the above ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Let cool. Once cool, make the icing layer:

Ingredients for middle/icing layer:
1 stick softened butter
1 lb powdered sugar
Option - 2 to 4 tsp chambord or raspberry liquor (you can use any flavor that appeals to you. Just remember that it has to go well with chocolate)

Mix all ingredients until fluffy and spread on top of cooled brownie layer

Ingredients for top layer:
12 oz (2 cups chocolate chips)
1.5 sticks butter

Melt butter and chocolate together and then pour on top of icing layer. Once chocolate has set, cut into squares.

CHOCOLATE HOMEMADE TRUFFLES

Ingredients:

2.5 pkgs BAKER's semi-sweet chocolate (break up into small pieces)

8 oz softened Cream Cheese

Optional - very finely chopped nuts, sprinkles, cocoa or chocolate drink powder, cake/cookie decorating icing

1. Melt 8 chocolate squares under low heat

2. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy

3. Add melted chocolate into cream cheese and blend well

4. Refridgerate mixture until firm (like play dough)

5. Remove from refrigerator and form into balls (about half to 3/4 the size of golf balls)

6. Place on waxed papered cookie sheet. Push each ball down very gently to form a small, flat bottom

7. Melt remaining chocolate

8. Gently poke top of each ball with a fork and then dip it into the melted chocolate

9. After dipping each ball, set it back onto the waxed paper and top with optional toppings. But wait until all balls are done being dipped if you want to use the icing.

10. Refrigerate at least 1 hour

11. Serve from a pretty plate or put into individual paper/foil candy cups