Share S'more Love... Life is good!

Greetings from the Terri's Cakes Detroit Kitchen!

A little while back, we had the privilege of eating at Craftwork Detroit! It's a quaint little restaurant in West Village that serves up a plethora of New American food goodness. Have you been there? If not, what are you waiting for?

When we had the pleasure of dining there, we had to try a dessert, of course. Our dessert of choice was the S'more: chocolate, meringue, graham cracker. I wasn't sure exactly what I should expect. All I knew was that I loved S'mores and was excited for this possibility. S'mores have been a staple in my home since childhood. If we were out in the wilderness, we would enjoy a s'more by the campfire. But, if we were at home, we would roast our marshmallows using a pitchfork over mama's range stove.

This amazing dessert was served as so... a thin chocolate brownie-esque caked topped with a fluffy dollop of marshmallow, roasted, and a thin crisp house made graham cracker slice perfectly placed atop the marshmallow fluff. To top it off, there was a chocolate ganache that could be drizzled over the dessert, at your discretion, as it was served on the side.

You know us, we were of course inspired to create our own version of the S'more, in cake form. Below, please find the ingredient list and menu to try this yourself at home! And, if you aren't that adventurous, stop on by the Hannan House Cafe in Detroit  where our hipster jars are sold and pick one up one day soon. Otherwise, stop on by on a Friday after 11:00am when we have our cake tastings. Maybe the s'more will be in rotation soon.

S'more Cupcakes
Ingredients

• 1 small jar of marshmallow fluff
• 4 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 lbs. confectioners sugar
• 3T whipped cream
• 12 full sheet graham crackers 
• your favorite chocolate cake mix

As this recipe yields 24 cupcakes, start by lining a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Crumble one quarter of a full sheet of graham crackers into each baking tin to create the "Crust" of the cupcake. Mix the chocolate cake batter according to the boxes instructions. Pour the batter into each cupcake liner until it is 3/4 full (about 1/4 cup in each cupcake liner). Cook according to the boxes instructions (about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserted into the middle of the cupcake). Let cupcakes cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, remove from pan and set on cooling rack until they cool completely. 

While the cupcakes cool, you will make a marshmallow buttercream frosting. Whip 4 sticks of butter until very creamy. We suggest letting them sit out slightly until they are the softness of ice cream when scooping (not hard, but not soft). When the butter is creamy, add two pounds of confectioners sugar (about 6 cups) to the mixture, S L O W L Y. Make sure your mixer is on the lowest possible speed before doing this, otherwise, you and your kitchen will both be covered in sugar. As it becomes harder to mix, add in about 3 tablespoons of whipped cream. The mixture will then be easier to mix and cream just a little bit more. Add in about 1 cup of marshmallow fluff. Mix well. 

After the cupcakes are cooled, depending on your level of expertise, feel free to spoon a dollop of frosting onto each cupcake or use a piping bag to pipe the frosting onto each cupcake. If you feel comfortable getting fancy, turn your broiler on and stick the cupcakes back in just enough to brown the marshmallow buttercream slightly. Or, if you randomly have a torch, use that. 

Remove the cupcakes from heat and top with a quarter sheet of graham cracker either crumbled or straight. Enjoy!

Hopefully, your cupcakes came out looking as amazing as these beauties from http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2013/07/smore-cupcakes/! They have another recipe for the expert bakers over that way. Tell them Terri's sent you. 😉

Post your masterpiece tagging #terriscakesdetroit!

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~ TCD

White Chocolate Sangria Swirl Cheesecake

Greetings!

A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided to go out to dinner. As we love our waiter Rasheed, we decided to venture over to Bonefish Grill in Troy, MI to see what new amazing fall menu items they had.

Per usual, we asked Rasheed for his recommendations and we were left satisfied, more than normal - as the new dessert was a HIT. As one of their fall flavors, bonefish introduced this beauty:

It reminded me of a high-end pop tart. The bread was soft and faintly sweet. The berry sangria preserve was nice and tangy. The mascarpone had the perfect amount of "salty and sweet", as I often think cream cheese frosting should taste. And, the wine custard sauce was the perfect light and fluffy addition to this amazing dessert.

As I was tasting it, I began to taste Terri's Cakes Detroit's next creation! The mascarpone created dreams of a perfectly sweet white chocolate cheesecake. The berry sangria preserve presented a desire to add a swirl to the middle of the cheesecake. The flatbread reminded me of every childs favorite cereal... cinnamon toast crunch. The combination of flavors led us to create the newest addition to the family, the white chocolate sangria swirl cheesecake. In order for you to create your own at home, we have pulled together the easy version of this delicacy by combining a few of our favorite recipes from the interwebs. Check out the recipe below!

White Chocolate Sangria Swirl Cheesecake
** 21+ recipe **

For the crust:

Consider using Martha Stewarts Graham Cracker Crust Recipe with a few minor changes:

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 ounces graham crackers (12 crackers), CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH, finely ground (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar OPTIONAL: Note: adding sugar to the cinnamon toast crunch will make the crust a tad bit sweeter than we would suggest. But, let your sweet tooth decide!
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse graham cracker crumbs CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH CRUMBS, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined.
2. Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake until crust is fragrant and edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Sangria:

Jug of burgundy wine - make sure you get the cheap stuff, its the best for sangria!
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of sugar - OPTIONAL: Note: adding sugar will make the sangria sweet and we add sugar to the jam, so be mindful not to make it to sweet. But, let your sweet tooth decide!
1/2 bottle of apricot brandy
1L sparkling water - citrus flavor
a few shots of tequila - Patron is preferred, but, whatever you deem necessary
2 apples (peeled and diced)
2 peaches or nectarines (peeled and diced)
4 cups strawberries
4 cups blueberries
4 cups raspberries
4 cups blackberries

After you mix all of these ingredients, taste it! If it is too tart for your liking, consider adding more orange juice or brandy. Consider pouring yourself a glass before making the berry sangria preserve.

For the Berry Sangria Preserve:
Consider using the WIlliams-Sonoma Mixed Berry Jam Recipe of course, with a few changes.

Let the sangria set overnight. Have a sangria party with your friends, because, we don't think it is smart to waste any food products - wine included. After the wine has been depleted, drain the fruit and consume the last little bit of the wine.

In a large nonreactive saucepan, gently stir together the berries, sugar (3 cups if you deem necessary) and lemon juice (3/4 cup, freshly squeezed). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the jam has thickened, about 15 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Set the berries in an air tight glass container, mason jars work well for storing the jam that will not be used in the cheesecake - but, they are not necessary for the purposes of the cheesecake.

For the jam you plan to save - ladle the hot jam into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids.

Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. The sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. If a sealed has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Makes 6 half pint jars.

Upon completion, and after cooling, place the preserve into an icing tube (or ziploc bag) with a very fine hole at the tip. This will allow you to swirl the preserve throughout the sangria however you see fit! Just keep in mind, you want to SWIRL the preserve so that each slice will have some preserve mixed in with the cheesecake!

For the cheesecake:

Consider using Cooking Classy's Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes recipe with a few minor changes:

Ingredients

• 28 oreo cookies divided
• 2 (8oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips (about 8 oz)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 20 muffin cups with paper liners and place one Oreo in the bottom and center of each of the 20 cups, set aside. Chop remaining 8 Oreo cookies into small pieces, set aside. In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, set on medium speed, whip together cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in eggs.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine white chocolate chips and cream and heat mixture on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour melted white chocolate chip mixture into cream cheese mixture, along with vanilla extract. Blend mixture until combined. Tap mixing bowl forcefully against counter top several times to release some of the larger air bubbles in the cheesecake mixture, then fold in remaining 8 chopped Oreos. Divide mixture among 20 muffin cups (right over the top of each Oreo), filling each cup about 3/4 full (about 1/4 cup in each). Bake in preheated oven about 20 minutes or until filling is set. Remove from oven and allow cupcakes cheesecake to cool on wire rest in muffin tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container, in a single layer, and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Store cupcakes in refrigerator and serve chilled.

**Recipe Source: Cooking Classy adapted from White Chocolate Cheesecake, inspired by Martha Stewart Cupcakes

The final product should look something like this. Pictured: white chocolate raspberry cheesecake by Paula Deen. Photo credit: Food Network

Enjoy your cheesecake. Share, or not. Save, if you must. Come back soon for another awesomely amazing recipe! Let us know how your cheesecake turns out. Visit the links provided - they all have some amazing recipes! And, don't forget to visit our menu and purchase some of our goodies!

-gtg-