I’m more than a little obsessed with this orange cheesecake recipe!  The orange flavor in the cheesecake pairs perfectly with the Oreo crust and the dark chocolate ganache topping.  Plus, the texture is just the way that I like cheesecake – not too heavy and not super light and fluffy.

I also adore the size of these cheesecakes.  Each one is just 4.4″ in diameter.  One mini cheesecake is the perfect size for my family to dig into after a meal.  And, because we’ve just cut into one of the four mini cheesecakes, we can pop the others into the freezer and break them out when we want a special treat or need something to bring with us to a small dinner gathering.

1. Place Tim Tams and cream cheese in a food processor and blitz until it forms a smooth paste (you will need to stop and stir the mixture a few times while the bigger pieces break up). Scrape into a bowl and chill to allow mixture to harden slightly so it is easier to handle.
2. (I recommend wearing food prep gloves for this messy bit) Roll about 2 tbsp of mixture into a ball and push one of the stick-shaped biscuits into the ball. Pinch mixture to the stick into the shape of a drumstick. Also place a small ball of mixture on the opposite end of the stick biscuit. (See picture below) Place moulded mixture on a lined baking tray. Repeat with remaining mixture, I think manage to make about 10.
3. Chill tray for about 45 mins (or freeze to save time), until cookie pop mixture sets and is easy to pick up and handle. Prepare icing in the meantime.
4. Place cornflakes and cinnamon in a large bowl, use your fingers to break up the cornflakes into large crumbs and set aside.
5. Place icing ingredients (cream cheese, butter and brown sugar) in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and and fluffy. 
6. Use a small spatula or knife to spread a thin layer of icing over the surface of each chilled cookie pop, then place the cookie pop in the cornflakes and roll, pressing cornflakes into the icing so that the surface of the cookie pop is covered. 
7. Return covered cookie pops to fridge to set (at least 1 hour) until ready to use.

1. Follow the instructions for this Devil's Food Cake recipe, using three 15cm (6", this is what I used) or 18cm (7", will result in slightly thinner layers). round cake tins Optional variation: I replaced the 9 tbsp of cocoa powder with 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 7 tbsp milo powder (you could also use Ovaltine) to make it a Malted Devil's Food Cake.
2. Beat 200g (1 & 3/4 sticks) salted butter (softened) with 3 cups (375g) icing/powdered sugar, and half a cup of milo powder in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high until fluffy and spreadable. Use a serrated knife to level the tops of cakes. Place one layer of cake (upside-down) on cake plate and use an offset spatula to spread a thick layer of icing over the top of the cake. Repeat with remaining cakes and icing. 
3. Beat 300g (2 & 2/3 sticks) salted butter with 1 can (395g) condensed milk and 500g (4 cups) icing/powdered sugar until light and fluffy (you may need to adjust icing sugar amount until desired icing texture is achieved, you want it to be spreadable but stiff enough to hold its shape). Crumb coat cake with some of the plain lemon icing and then chill for about half an hour. Use offset spatula to cover cake in another layer of icing and smooth (run spatula regularly under hot water to achieve a smoother result)
4. Top cake with shortbread chips and fried chicken cake pops and chill. Remove from fridge at least half an hour before serving to allow to come back to room temperature. Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

In 1981, Harvard law professor Roger Fisher, director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, published a thought experiment in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: what if the codes to launch nuclear war were kept inside the chest-cavity of a young volunteer, and the President would have to hack them out of this young man's chest before he could commence armageddon? (more…)

You may have noticed that whenever we post a missed mark with a fondant inspiration cake, like this:

...and a buttercream wreck, like this:

...we tend to get a lot of the same complaints.

"You can't compare fondant designs to buttercream!"

"The second cake would have looked FINE if it was done in fondant!"

"This blog isn't funny anymore!"

So, in the interest of fairness and maximum "I told you so" potential, today's missed marks are ALL fondant.

ENJOY.

Thanks to Devon M., Jeannie S., Kat M., Amanda H., Summer R., & Ziggo for telling us so.

*****

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The package for Nestle Toll House DelightFulls - Dark Chocolate Morsels with Mint Filling says that they’re a baking product. But we all know that chocolate chips are just candy you put in baked goods.

Nestle’s new twist, introduced last year, are filled morsels that come in a variety of combinations for baking. The pieces are just slightly larger than a standard Toll House Dark Chocolate Morsel, so they easy to add to cookies or just eat as candy. The current varieties are dark chocolate with cherry flavored filling, milk chocolate with caramel or peanut butter filling. And then of course, the version I picked up.

The pieces are actually better looking than regular morsels, they were less scuffed up, some were downright glossy. The package only holds 9 ounces, not the usual 12, but for 3.29, I thought they were a pretty good price. The chocolate is real, but the mint filling is made with palm oil, milk, sugar, peppermint oil and food coloring. I was hoping they’d be a better version of Andes Mints, which I love but really aren’t very good quality.

The dark chocolate outside isn’t very complex or even very dark. The cacao content isn’t listed, but it’s pretty sweet. The filling is a little fudgier, a little grainier but also lightly salty. The mint flavor is clean and I didn’t get any notes from the artificial coloring.

The difference between these and any old mint flavored dark chocolate morsel is that the filling makes these a softer bite. It’s not really obvious when I eat them that they’re filled, per se, but there’s definitely a change in the intensity of the flavors based on melting them on the tongue (lots of chocolate, then lots of mint) versus chewing them to get a balance of chocolate and soft mint.

I haven’t seen anyone I know use these in baking yet. But as a candy on their own, this is a great item for snacking at the movies, mixing into a trail mix or perhaps a strange after dinner mint. I think the other flavors are quite interesting, especially the caramel and cherry, since there aren’t other morsels like that already.

Name: Toll House DelightFulls - Dark Chocolate Morsels with Mint Filling
Brand: Nestle
Place Purchased: Target (West Hollywood)
Price: $3.29
Size: 9 ounces
Calories per ounce: 161
Type: Chocolate/Mint
Rating: 7 out of 10

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2. Nestle Girl Scout Cookie Bars - Thin Mints
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4. Hershey’s York Pieces
5. M&Ms Premiums
6. Nestle Toll House Mint Holiday Gems
7. 3 Musketeers Mint with Dark Chocolate
8. The Mint Kisses: Chocolate Mint & Candy Cane