Dark Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cheesecake

February is the month of love. It is the month for chocolates, roses, fine dining, and romancing. It's still February, and while I missed Valentine's Day with this dessert, this still would be the perfect thing to make for your special someone. Dark chocolate, Raspberry, Mousse, and Cheesecake are four of the most delectable desserts that I am aware of, and combining all four of them into one indulgent masterpiece is enough to make time stop for a little bit. It really is that good. The chocolate mousse itself would be divine, but the addition of the raspberry and raspberry sauce brings this dessert to a whole new level of decadence. Give this recipe a try, it will be sure to be a crowd pleaser. 

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cheesecake

Yields 1 9-inch Cheesecake

Ingredients:


Crust:

15 Oreo cookies {separated, with the filling scraped out}

1 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp butter {melted}


Raspberry Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

2 tbsp sugar


Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake:

4 {8-ounce)} packages cream cheese

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Chocolate Ganache: 

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp sugar



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. In a food processor blend together the cookies and the sugar. Add in the melted butter and blend again. 

Prepare your 9-inch springform pan by putting parchment paper on the bottom of it and spraying the sides. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan evenly.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes; bring out and cool.



While the crust is baking, start making the raspberry sauce.


In a small sauce pan over low to medium heat, break down the berries and combine them with the sugar. Be careful not to burn them!

Once they are combined, allow them to remain at a gentle rolling boil over low heat for a minute or so.

Remove the sauce from the heat, but keep stirring so that it stays liquid. Press the sauce through a sieve to get rid of any seeds or burned parts. This will give you a nice, smooth sauce.

Brush about a quarter of the sauce into the baked Oreo crust. Set the rest aside for later.


To start making the cake beat the cream cheese until it is fluffy and aerated {about 3 minutes}. Beat in the sugar and sifted cocoa powder. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides.

In a separate bowl, microwave the semisweet chocolate chips until smooth {at 40 second bursts}. Do not microwave any more than necessary, as it will take a long time to cool.

Once the chocolate has cooled, beat it into the cream cheese mixture. 


Pour half of the mousse filling over the crust.

Spoon the remaining raspberry sauce into the mousse batter. Use a fork to swirl it into the batter and spread it out. Pour the remaining mousse into the pan.

Bake on 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

After baking, cool the cake {still in the pan!} for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a butter knife around the parameter of the cake to help loosen it from the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


In the morning, make the chocolate ganache.

In a small sauce pan using a whisk, melt the semisweet chocolate chips with the cream and sugar. Do not let the ganache boil.

Set it aside to cool for 15 minutes before pouring over the cake.

Once the ganache has cooled a bit, pour it slowly over the top of the cake {while the cake is still in the pan!}. Pour and spread it until it is about a half an inch from the edges. 

Cover with plastic wrap again, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

After chilling, run a butter knife around the cake to loosen if from the pan again. Carefully remove the sides of the pan. 

Place raspberries around the top of the cake, using the ganache to hold them in place.

Drizzle any remaining ganache over the top of the raspberries.

Chill until ready to serve.

White Chocolate Amaretto Cupcakes

These cupcakes were a little bittersweet for me, only because I feel like these will be my last un-seasonal cupcakes *tears, but maybe happy tears?*. You can definitely be expecting plenty of pumpkin spice, maple sugar, and cranberry cupcakes in the near future. These cupcakes are great if you have a sweet tooth! The almond and white chocolate are sweet, but the raspberry sauce is tart and makes it complete. The raspberry sauce is also really easy, and yummy on ice cream.

White Chocolate Amaretto Cupcakes

Yields about 24

Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cup almond milk

4 egg whites

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sweet cream, salted butter {softened}

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract


Frosting:

1 cup butter

4-5 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup white melting chocolates

1 tbsp almond extract


Raspberry Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

2 tbsp sugar



Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk and egg whites; set aside.

Beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until all of the sugar is combined, then add the vanilla and almond extract.

While still beating, alternate adding half of the flour mixture, then half of the egg white/almond milk mixture until they are both completely combined. 

Fill cupcake cups halfway, and bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes.

For the frosting, melt the melting chocolate in the microwave until it is smooth. Keep stirring it while you let it cool so that it doesn't solidify again.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with one cup of the confectioners' sugar until it is smooth and fluffy. Beat in a cup of sugar to the butter at a time until they are all combined. Add the almond extract. 

Once the white chocolate is cooled, beat it into the rest of the frosting. Continue beating for around 3 minutes to make sure everything is evenly mixed.

Pipe with an open star tip onto the cooled cupcakes.

 For the raspberry sauce, put the raspberries and sugar and a small sauce pan.

Use a fork over low to medium heat to break down the berries and combine them with the sugar. Be careful not to burn them!

Once they are combined, allow them to remain at a gentle rolling boil over low heat for a minute or so.

Remove the sauce from the heat, but keep stirring so that it stays liquid. Press the sauce through a sieve to get rid of any seeds or burned parts. This will give you a nice, smooth sauce.

You might want to add a dash or so of cold water to help with the consistency.

Drizzle a little of the cooled sauce on the cupcakes...

...and shaved white chocolate.

Depending on your preference, you can leave them like this...

...or you can top it with another raspberry!

Either way, enjoy the cupcakes!

Almond Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

One of the greatest things that comes with the beautiful weather of summer is all of the fresh fruit!!! If you haven't noticed by now, one of my favorite things to use in frostings {both in the frosting itself and as a topper} is fresh fruit..strawberries, raspberries, blueberries...I love them all! These cupcakes were also from my Independence Day weekend {thus the red, white, and blue}, and although I was originally hesitant to top them with blueberries, they were quite delicious and would not have been the same without them.

Almond Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

Yields about 24

Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cup almond milk

4 egg whites

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sweet cream, salted butter {softened}

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 handful fresh raspberries

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk and egg whites; set aside.

Beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until all of the sugar is combined, then add the vanilla and almond extract.

While still beating, alternate adding half of the flour mixture, then half of the egg white/almond milk mixture until they are both completely combined. 

Fill cupcake cups halfway, and bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes.

For the frosting, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth {about 3 minutes}. 

Gradually beat in 2 cups of the confectioner's sugar, about a half a cup at a time. Once the sugar is completely combined into the cream cheese and butter, add the raspberries and beat until they are mixed into the frosting and broken apart enough so that the frosting wont just have clumps of raspberry in it.

Beat for 3 to 5 minutes after everything is combined to get the frosting smooth and fluffy; if the frosting is too liquid because of the raspberries, add up to a cup of extra confectioner's sugar...the frosting will be slightly sweeter, but it will stay more firm.

Pipe with star tip, top with fresh blueberries {or other fresh fruit of your choice:)}

The day that I made these cupcakes was one of the hottest days we've had here so far this summer, so the frosting started to melt after a while. Also the juice from the raspberries didn't help with that either, so DEFINITELY throw these {don't actually throw them, c'mon guys} into the fridge immediately after you are done piping the frosting. Store your cupcakes in the fridge until you are ready to serve them. Enjoy!

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

I think spring has officially sprung! It has here, anyway. It seemed for a while we would have one absolutely gorgeous day, and then the next morning out of no where we would get hit with a blizzard...silly New England weather! I made this recipe as a step of faith, praying that with these light, refreshing cupcakes would also come the warm days of spring. I'm pretty sure it worked {finger's crossed}, and I hope these cupcakes bring a little bit of spring into your kitchen, whatever season you happen to be in.

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

Yields 24+

Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/4 cup almond milk

4 egg whites

lemon zest from 2 lemons
1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter substitute

1 tsp vanilla

lemon juice from half of a lemon

Frosting:

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 tbsp vanilla

zest from half of a lemon

5 raspberries

2 tbsp almond milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk and egg whites; set aside.

In a large bowl, use your {clean!!!} fingers to mix together the sugar and lemon zest. Mix until the sugar seems slightly damp and tinted a very very light yellow. 

Add the butter substitute and beat with an electric mixer until all of the sugar is combined, then add the vanilla and lemon juice.

While still beating, alternate adding half of the flour mixture, then half of the egg white/almond milk mixture until they are both completely combined. 

Fill cupcake cups halfway, and bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes.

For the frosting, sift the confectioner's sugar over the shortening a cup at a time, and beat until each cup is combined. 

Add the vanilla, lemon zest, and raspberries, and beat until the raspberries are split apart and evenly combined in the frosting. Add the almond milk to reach your desired consistency.

Pipe with a circle tip onto the cooled cupcakes.

The raspberries and lemon zest in the frosting give these cupcakes a really fun, interesting texture. Also, it makes them taste really good!!

Top with a raspberry, and enjoy your cupcakes!