Fondant Cake Decorating from scratch

This was such an amazing project. Enjoy!!

Marshmallow Fondant:

16 oz marshmallows
3 t water
2 lb powdered sugar
gel food coloring

Melt marshmallows in the microwave; 2 min. Stir to ensure they are melted. Add water and sugar .5 pound at a time. Dump onto a sugar dusted counter and knead until smooth.

If you are making 1 color only you can add the coloring before the powdered sugar. Otherwise, divide your dough into reasonable pieces and color individually. Add gel to the top of your fondant then fold fondant in to cover. Knead until either smooth or marbled if desired. If it becomes hard to knead, place in a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 10-15 seconds at a time.

Fondant desires to be placed on top of butter cream frosting! Shape your cake using butter cream to stack layers and mold/correct shapes. You can frost thinly once, place in the fridge then frost again for a great shape.

Butter Cream Frosting:

1 c margarine
2 c shortening
1 t clear vanilla
1/2 c water
3 lbs powdered sugar

Beat with an electric mixer on low until smooth.


Chocolate Overload Cake - to die for!

2 c boiling water
1 c softened butter
4 eggs
2 3/4 c all purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 1/4 c sugar
1 c cocoa powder
1 t vanilla

Wisk cocoa and water until smooth, set aside to cool.

Mix flour, soda, powder and salt in a seperate bowl.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy in a seperate bowl. Beat eggs in slowly. Add Vanilla. Add flour and cocoa alternating.. Mix well.

Pour into 3 9" greased pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Stuffed French Toast - in the crock pot!

Serves 4 to 6.

1 loaf of thick bread - I made a challah in my bread machine the night before
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, cubed
1 can pie filling - your flavor choice - I used strawberry
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
Syrup for topping
1/4 cup powdered sugar, optional

Spray the interior of the crockpot with a vegetable spray.
Mix milk, egg and cinnamon in a bowl.
Dunk several slices of bread into the mixture and layer in the bottom of crock pot.
Add half the cream cheese and half of the pie filling - spread to cover.
Pour half of egg mixture over bread, cream cheese and pie filling in crockpot.
Sprinkle with half of sugar.
Dunk remaining bread and make another layer of bread over the fruit and cream cheese.
cover with cream cheese and pie filling.
Pour over remaining milk mixture.
Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Cook on High for 2 1/2 hours.
Remove promptly and cut into portions.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve with syrup.

Chocolate Eclair Cake (no bake)

This is a secret recipe handed over at an Army holiday party. I hear tell it came from the Marriott. Its owner says the hard part is finding the chocolate graham crackers!

Ingredients:
1 small box french vanilla pudding
1 cup milk (for pudding)
chocolate graham crackers
regular graham crackers
half bag of nestle chocolate chips
1 tub whipped topping

Mix pudding with 1/2 milk required on package. Once it begin to gel, fold in whipped topping. Mix only until blended.

Place regular graham crackers in the bottom of an 8 by 8 pan in one layer. Dump on and smooth out half of the pudding.

Place chocolate graham crackers over pudding in one layer. Dump on and smooth out remaining half of the pudding.

Put chocolates in a microwavable dish. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir to check smoothness. Repeat in 30 second increments until completely melted. Immediately pour quickly over the pudding and smooth evenly to cover.

Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to soften the crackers.

Crockpot Cheesecake

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/07/crockpot-cheesecake-recipe.html

Crust

- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used Mi-Del gluten free Arrowroot Cookies)
- 2 T brown sugar
- 3 T melted butter

Filling

- 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature (I nuked mine for 30 seconds to get it soft)
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature (I put the eggs in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (mmm. cream.)
- 1 t good vanilla
- 1 T flour (I used Pamela's. It didn't make it into the picture)

Directions.

Find a heat-resistant dish that will fit into your crockpot for the cheesecake. You are going to create a bain marie, or water bath. I used a 1.5 qt Corning Ware dish and it fit nicely into 6qt oval. I tried a round cake pan in a 4 qt round, and that fit too. But I opted for my 6qt, because I'm more comfortable with how it heats.

In a plastic zipper bag, beat the animal crackers into crumbs with a rolling pin. Put a cup of the crumbs into a medium bowl, and add melted butter and brown sugar. Stir until it's wet and crumby. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the dish you are going to use.

In a separate bowl, cream the cheese, sugar, eggs, flour, cream, and vanilla with a hand-mixer. Unless you have one of those fancy Kitchen Aids. Then use that. Pour the cheese mixture on top of the crust. Lick the bowl.

Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water to the bottom of your crockpot. Lower the dish inside, being careful to not slosh water into your cheesecake.

Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours. Check after 1 hour, just in case. The cheesecake is done when the edges are no longer shiny and have set. Touch lightly to see that you don't get a bunch of stuff on your finger---then you know it's done. My cheesecake wasn't perfectly set in the middle, but I unplugged the crock anyhow.

I cooked it for exactly 2 hours. Let the cheesecake sit in the cooling crockpot for an hour, before removing and transferring to the refrigerator. Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before cutting and serving.

Crock Pot Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Crock Pot Peanut Butter Cup Cake

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/dessert

1 cup all-purpose flour (Use Pamela's Baking Mix for gluten free variety)
1 cup sugar (divided. this is important, don't just start dumping, read on!)
1 teaspoon baking powder (even if using Pamela's use this amount)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (unless you're a rebel. then use chunky)
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker coated well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.

In the microwave, melt peanut butter for about 30 seconds, and then add to the mix along with milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir really well to combine.

Spread this mixture into the bottom of your slow cooker.
In a separate bowl, mix together cocoa powder, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 cup boiling water (be careful!) Pour this evenly over the peanut butter batter in your cooker.
Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours, or until the top has set and an inserted toothpick (into the cake--underneath the cake is molten chocolate) comes out clean. Let the cake sit uncovered in an unplugged crockpot for about 20 minutes, then serve warm in dessert bowls.