<p>I love to cook but my baking skills are, well, let’s just say I am encouraged by family and friends to bring an appetizer to functions and holidays. For Easter, however, I am determined to bring a delicious dessert to my sister’s house. Does anyone have and easy but delicious and brag-worthy recipe that I can try? Maybe with some chocolate involved!</p>
<p>How about Oreo Ice Cream Pie? No baking. Crushed Oreo crust, drizzled chocolate.</p>
<p>Many of the mixes sold at stores really turn out amazing! I have made the Ghiradehli’s (sp?) double-chocolate brownies many times and they turned out great. It is even better when I make them in the mini-muffin tins that with non-stick coating. Scones are much easier than you might think and an easy box recipe as well. Got many compliments from them.</p>
<p>I don’t like chocolate- so this doesn’t have any- but it is good and easy</p>
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<p>actually this one is better</p>
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<p>How about a trifle with berries, whip cream, lady fingers-all ingredients you can easily buy and assemble into a fancy pants dessert. Do you have a trifle bowl?</p>
<p>Perfect for easter (no chocolate, but decorate with jelly beans) made from mix
[Is</a> It Really Better Than Sex? Cake Recipe : Paula Deen : Food Network](<a href=“http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/is-it-really-better-than-sex-cake-recipe/index.html]Is”>http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/is-it-really-better-than-sex-cake-recipe/index.html)</p>
<p>EVERYONE LOVES THIS and you can keep the name to yourself…</p>
<p>There’s a recipe in Marcella Hazan’s Classic Italian Cooking that is really great and requires no baking. It is a pan lined with bought pound cake dipped in a rum espresso mixture and filled with chocolate mousse. It is chilled until firm, them turned out on a serving dish and covered with whipped cream. It can be decorated with chocolate coffee beans or shaved chocolate or whatever. Here’s an idea for a super-simplified version:</p>
<p>1 16 oz pound cake (Two Sara Lee butter pound cakes works nicely, with some to spare just in case. They are smaller than 1 lb.)</p>
<p>Rum Mixture (you can make more if you need it):
5 Tablespoons dark rum
1 1/4 cups strong espresso coffee (you can use Medaglia D’Oro or Lavazza instant espresso)
5 tsp sugar
5 Tbs water</p>
<p>Marida’s Mousse (You may want to have 2 times this on hand, just in case, because I am not certain how much you will need to fill the cake. But don’t worry: it only takes a couple of minutes to whip up a batch.):</p>
<p>2 Cups heavy or whipping cream
1 package chocolate instant pudding
(This will make a lighter flavored mousse than the original)</p>
<p>Frosting:</p>
<p>1 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
3 Tbs confectioner’s sugar (it stabilizes the cream)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract</p>
<p>Line a 9" square baking pan with buttered waxed or parchment paper, making sure the paper comes up the sides and extends above the rim. I would use two trimmed lengths, one each way.</p>
<p>Make Marida’s Mousse by beating the cream with the instant pudding until thickened and forming peaks. Set aside, preferably in fridge.</p>
<p>Cut the pound cake into 1/4 inch slices. Dip them quickly one by one into the rum mixture and line the pan bottom and sides with them as you dip. Don’t worry about being perfectly precise: you can do a bit of squishing and/or breaking off small pieces to fill holes.</p>
<p>Fill the cake-lined mold with Marida’s Mousse. (If necessary, whip up a second batch.)</p>
<p>Cover the top of the mousse with the remaining slices of cake, dipping in rum mixture as you go. Again, don’t worry about what it looks like at this point. Refrigerate overnight.</p>
<p>The next day, place a platter or other serving dish with a large enough flat area to acommodate the cake over the cake and flip the whole thing over, holding the protruding wax paper with your thumbs. The cake will come out on the serving dish. Peel off the wax paper.</p>
<p>Beat together the frosting ingredients until the cream forms stiff peaks. Ice the top and sides of the cake, making attractive swirls. If you want to get inventive, buy a bar of good dark chocolate such as Lindt or Ghirardelli, and cut shavings off the end of it with a vegetable peeler. Scatter the shavings over the whipped cream.</p>
<p>Refrigerate until ready to serve.</p>
<p>I like to make my own pancakes/crepes (scratch, no baking powder) with buttermilk/yogurt. Then topped with a homemade, fresh fruit syrup. </p>
<p>Very elegant.</p>
<p>wow…Consolation…I am making THAT.</p>
<p>musica, the original recipe is in The Classic Italian Cookbookk by Marcella Hazan. The only thing I have changed is the mousse, to something very simple for the benefit of the OP.</p>
<p>wow…Consolation…I am making THAT.</p>
<p>that sounds yummy- hmm- we aren’t having anyone over for easter- I wonder how much we would have left over for two.
;)</p>
<p>If you can get some halfway decent fresh strawberries, you can make eton mess, which involves no baking. This is one of those recipes that is far greater than the sum of its parts (cream, strawberries, meringues). The general idea: slice up strawberries, add some sugar and maybe a little orange liqueur, let sit. Take some fresh cream, beat until almost stiff, add a little sugar, beat until the cream is entirely whipped. Buy some plain meringue cookies, and cut them into fourths. Gently fold together strawberries, cream, and meringues. Recipes will say that this is best assembled right before eating so that the meringues are still crisp, but our family likes it after it’s sat for a bit. It is one of our favorite things in the world. </p>
<p>Google for specific recipes.</p>
<p>Easiest ever Key lime Pie.</p>
<p>combine:
4 egg yolks lightly beaten
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 Cup fresh key lime juice (or combine 1/2 cup each of fresh lemon and fresh regular lime juice if you don’t want to squeeze the tiny key limes, but definitely fresh juice)
Mix well</p>
<p>Pour into a deep 9"graham cracker crust.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.</p>
<p>I love key lime pie and this is as good as anyi have had and incredibly quick and easy.</p>
<p>Ok, another chance to share my year long obsession with all things Pioneer Woman, otherwise known as Ree Drummond.
Have you heard of her yet ? Perhaps when her top selling recipe book was released in December? Or, perhaps because Reese Witherspoon has been selected to star in a MOVIE about her life? </p>
<p>I have made this dessert for many people, and all LOVED IT!
I know it’s retro-1960’s -but, you will impress! Try it. </p>
<p>EPTR- the Best Ever Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake, is what I would make if you want Chocolate- it’s fine in a 13x9 pan, but better in the 1/2 sheet cake pan it suggests-15 x18. (The step by step photo instructions on her web site can be followed by a 5 year old- truly for the beginner baker/ cook)</p>
<p>So don’t let this name (or excessive amount of sugar and butter scare you)</p>
<p>[The</a> Pioneer Woman Cooks - Ree Drummond](<a href=“http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/apple_dumplings/]The”>Best Apple Dumplings Recipe - How to Make Apple Dumplings)</p>
<p>(I usually half the ingredients for 8 dumplings which serve 4)
This makes 16 dumplings would be good for larger group.
Ingredients</p>
<pre><code>* 2 whole Granny Smith Apples
- 2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
- 2 sticks Butter
- 1-½ cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Cinnamon, To Taste
- 1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda
</code></pre>
<p>Preparation Instructions</p>
<p>Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.</p>
<p>Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.</p>
<p>WARNING: Prepare this dish at your own risk. It is beyond imaginable.</p>
<p>ChessMom, is this the cake you are talking about? I searched for a Texas sheet cake and coudn’t find one. I’m curious because I make one and wanted to compare.</p>
<p>[The</a> Pioneer Woman Cooks - Ree Drummond](<a href=“http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_chocol/]The”>Best Texas Sheet Cake - Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe)</p>
<p>People ask me to make this all the time, and it’s easy - no real cooking involved. It’s even better made the day before so that it has time to set up.</p>
<p>Chocolate Mousse Cake</p>
<p>Crust
21 Oreo cookies
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces</p>
<p>Mousse
12 ounces high quality milk chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
¼ cup granulated sugar</p>
<p>For crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 spring form pan. Finely grind cookies in food processor. Add butter and process until mixture is evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan to form a thin crust. Bake for 5 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely.</p>
<p>For mousse: Combine chocolate, vanilla and salt in processor. Bring 1-cup cream to boil in a small, heavy saucepan. With processor running, gradually pour the cream through fed tube and process until chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.</p>
<p>Beat 2 cups cream and sugar in large bowl to still peaks. Fold into cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Chill until set, at least 6 hours or overnight. </p>
<p>Remove sides of spring form pan and transfer cake to a serving plate, leaving bottom intact. To decorate: Beat remaining ¾ cup cream in medium bowl to firm peaks Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with star tip. Pipe rosettes of cream around edge of cake and garnish with chocolate shavings.</p>
<p>You don’t say - oh, yes that is the one! I made it in a 13 x 9 pan once, and it was ok. Then bought a real 1/2 sheet cake pan, and have made it about 6 times.
I googled Texas Sheet Cake recipe, and found slight variations, especially putting in some dark coffee in the icing- which is quite sweet, and I don’t use all of it- maybe 75%. If you read the posts following the recipe you will get some great advice, from savvy cooks.</p>
<p>It’s really perfect for large gatherings, (made it for a Woman’s Club Monet Art Presentation, and it was great)
Apparently, this recipe goes back many generations in families, but I had never heard of it.</p>
<p>You don’t say- Ree calls it the Best Ever Chocolate Cake, but it’s definitely a version of Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake :)</p>
<p>I don’t have the time/energy these days to do much baking-wise, but I do always make a bunny cake for Easter. Regular box mix and canned frosting (I think I often do lemon cake/vanilla frosting or vanilla/vanilla). Bake in two round pans. One becomes the head. The other you slice ears out of (a big swoop out of each side). What’s left becomes a bow-tie. Arrange the cake pieces and put the canned frosting all over. Decorate with some of those small tubes of decorating icing. Always a hit. (Next year I can tell you about my annual Valentine’s Day heart cake.)</p>
<p>SJChessMom, I need to thank you. </p>
<p>I was wandering through our grocery store today and saw the Pioneer Woman Cooks. I remembered the name from this thread and picked it up. What fun! (And I need another cookbook like I need another crazy idea.) I bought it and I’m enjoying it.</p>
<p>~mafool</p>
<p>Get either a Mrs. Smith’s frozen natural juice apple pie or a Claim Jumper’s frozen lattice crust cherry pie and slip it out of the store pie tin while still frozen and into one of your own pie tins and bake according to directions on the box.</p>
<p>Mrs. Smith and I are on a first name basis.</p>