Secret Ingredient Fudge

One of my family's holiday traditions is fudge.  And this is not just any fudge.  It is creamy and delicious, and it has a secret ingredient!  When I was in school, my mom and I would make batches and batches for all of mine and my brother's teachers and all of our friends and family.  Then after Jake and I got married, I started making it for all of our friends and co-workers. 

Everyone loves it!  It's very rich and creamy, but it's not overly sugary like some kinds of fudge.  And it's always fun to make people try to guess the secret ingredient when they tasted it for the first time. :)

I've gotten all kinds of guesses...coconut...butterscotch...Nutella...cream cheese...Only one person has ever been able to guess it!  She was a co-worker of mine back who was several months pregnant and claimed that her pregnancy hormones had given her superhuman taste and smell.  Ha! :)

So...Any guesses???

Now let me warn you, it's going to sound really weird!  It's something you would probably never consider putting in fudge and actually sounds like it would be disgusting combined with chocolate.  But I promise you, it is anything but disgusting!

Are you ready???

Here it is:

That's right...Velveeta cheese!!  I know it sounds crazy, but trust me, it is amazing!

The second best thing about this fudge (other than it's delicious taste) is that it is super easy!  It does not require a candy thermometer, testing for "soft-ball stage" or anything like that.  The process is very simple, and you only need five ingredients:

Velveeta, Butter, Powdered Sugar, Cocoa, and Vanilla (preferably Mexican)

 

First, cube your butter and Velveeta and put it in a double boiler.

Yes, this is A LOT of butter and cheese.  I would not recommend making this recipe too frequently.  But once a year, it is definitely worth the calories! :)

Slowly melt the butter and cheese in the double boiler, stirring frequently.  If you don't have a double boiler, I imagine you could do this in the microwave.  Just make sure not to overheat it or the cheese may burn.

The cheese and butter will never fully incorporate.  It will look grainy and honestly a little gross.  But trust me, it will work.

While your cheese and butter are melting, sift together your cocoa and powdered sugar. 

Now the original recipe calls for 4 pounds of powdered sugar, but years ago, we decided it was better not to use the full amount.  The taste and texture are both better if you leave a little of the powdered sugar in the bag.  I forgot to take a picture of the bag after I was finished, but there was probably about an inch left in the bottom.

Make sure to use a pretty big bowl.  And make sure your bowl is heat-proof.

Once your butter and cheese are melted, pour it into the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture.

Add your vanilla and mix until everything is well combined.  It should look something like this:

Pour into two 9 x 13 pans (told you it made a lot!), and pat it out with your fingers until smooth.

We usually let it set up on the counter for a couple of hours before cutting it.  And we always cut pretty small pieces because it is VERY rich.  But also VERY delicious!  And it also freezes well if you want to make it ahead or have any leftovers.

This makes a great gift or dessert for a holiday party.  But if you make it, you must make people guess the secret ingredient before telling them!

Enjoy!

Secret Ingredient Fudge

1 pound Velveeta Cheese
1 pound (4 sticks) butter
4 pounds (or a little less) powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 Tbs vanilla (preferably Mexican)

Cube Velveeta and butter and combine in a double boiler.  Melt over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. 

Meanwhile, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa in a large bowl.

Once Velveeta and butter are melted, pour into powdered sugar/cocoa mixture.  Add vanilla, and stir until well combined.

Pour into two 9 x 13 inch pans and smooth with fingers.  Let set up a couple of hours before cutting.

~Rachel

The Best Cake I've Ever Made

I always love an excuse to try out a new dessert recipe!  My mom's birthday was this past week, and I decided to make a recipe I pinned in Pinterest several months ago: Pumpkin Dream Cake.  It's pretty much a three layer pumpkin cake with Maple Cream Cheese frosting.  My mom loves pumpkin (so do I!), plus it's October-offically pumpkin season!  The original recipe came from The Novice Chef blog.  I've never made any of her recipes before, but since this one was so delicious, I may have to try out more!

This cake was a HUGE hit!  My entire family was singing its praises.  Even my dad who usually doesn't care for pumpkin desserts was a big fan.  Jake declared it to be the best cake I've ever made, and I think I might have to agree! 

Here's what you need:

 

Flour, sugar, eggs, milk, baking soda, salt, canned pumpkin, vegetable oil, cream cheese, powdered sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and (of course) butter

First, wisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

 

 

Next, cream your butter and sugar until fluffy.

 

 

Did I mention that this is not one of my healthier recipes? :)  It's so worth it though!

 

Beat in eggs, one at a time.

 

 

 

Add pumpkin, vanilla, and oil.  The original recipe said to stir it in, but I just used my Kitchen Aid on the lowest setting.

 

Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beating well after each addition. 

 

 

When you are finished it should look like this:

 

 

It's pretty thick for a cake batter, but never fear...it will be delicious!

 

Now pour it into three 8-inch cake pans that you've already prepared.  I like to line the bottom of my pans with parchment paper to keep the cakes from sticking.

 

 

You may be asking "What are those weird pieces of fabric wrapped around your cake pans?"  Well awhile back I found a tutorial (via Pinterest of course!) on how to bake level cakes.  The full tutorial can be found on Rose Bakes, but basically it involves cutting strips of fabric, getting them damp, and wrapping them around your cake pans.  Pretty simple and it works like a charm!  No more cutting off the tops of layer cakes to make them even!

 

Bake at 300 for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

 

Now get ready for another strange baking tip...

 

The original recipe said to remove the cakes from the oven and put them right into the freezer for 45 minutes.  Supposedly, this immediately stops the baking process, which keeps the cake moist. 

 

I was a little skeptical about this tip.  I've never seen it in a single cookbook, blog, website, or recipe card.  And I was a little nervous about putting hot, just-out-of-the-oven pans into my freezer.  But I decided to give it a try.  I cleared out the top section of my freezer, lined it with hot pads, and put the cakes in as soon as they came out of the oven. 

 

 

 

And let me tell you what, I'm glad I did.  This cake was SUPER moist-probably the moistest (is that a word?) cake I've ever made.  I will definitely be trying out this tip on all my cakes in the future!

 

Now for the Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.  Doesn't that just sound delicious?

 

Beat your butter and cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy. 

 

 

Beat in vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup.  My parents brought back this maple syrup from their trip to Maine this summer, and it is de-licious!

 

 

 

 

Add your powdered sugar in small amounts.  I absolutely HATE measuring and beating in powdered sugar.  It is such a mess!  No matter how careful I am, I always end up with white powdery film all over the kitchen.  If anyone has any tips for this, I would love to hear them. :)

 

Anyway, I was so focused on trying not to make a mess that I forgot to take pictures of adding the powdered sugar.  But the finished product should look like this:

 

 

Mmmm... 

 

It took some serious self-control not to eat this straight out of the bowl with a spoon.  Instead, I settled for licking the beater. :)

 

Now it's time to assemble the cake.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of this process too!  But it's really fairly simple.

 

Stack the cakes on top of each other with a thick layer of frosting in between.  Make sure you leave about half an inch around the edge of each cake or else you will have frosting coming out the sides.  I forgot to do this with the first layer, and it was a bit messy!

 

Then, put a thin "crumb coating" layer of frosting on the cake.  Don't worry about covering up the whole cake or making it pretty.  You're just putting a thin layer on to help seal in the crumbs.  Here's a picture of the cake with just the crumb coating:

 

 

 

Put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.  The original recipe said to put it back in the freezer for 10 minutes, but I have a pull out freezer underneath my fridge, so it wouldn't fit. 

 

Now it's time to make it pretty!  Add a thick layer of frosting to the top and sides of the cake, spreading it as smoothly as possible.  It really helps if you have a cake stand or lazy susan that you can rotate as you go. 

 

When you're finished it should look something like this:

 

 

 

 

Yum! Pictures simply do not do this cake justice. You really must try it!



 

Pumpkin Dream Cake

Original recipe from The Novice Chef

 

Ingredients:

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk

 

Frosting:

12 oz (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 cups powdered sugar

 



In a medium bowl, wisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, pumpkin and vegetable oil.  Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beating until smooth.

Divide batter evenly into three 8-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes.

To make frosting, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. 

Assemble the 3 layers with a thick layer of frosting in between each layer. Apply a thin crumb coat on the top and sides. Put back in the freezer for about 10 minutes or refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Apply one final thick and even layer around the outside of the cake. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.