White Almond Cupcakes

 

I made these for Valentine’s Day dessert, and included them on my Valentine’s Day table for two. A number of you noticed them and asked for the recipe, so here it is. I shared them with my number one son and his family, and they absolutely loved them! They last for a number of days on the countertop, and the icing can be tinted any color to suit whatever holiday you happen to be celebrating. These would be wonderful for St. Patrick’s Day or Easter. Try them. The whole family is going to love these.

White Almond Cupcakes

1 18.25-oz. pkg. white cake mix
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
¾ t. salt
1-1/3 c. water
1 c. sour cream
2 T. vegetable oil
1 t. pure almond extract

1 t. clear vanilla flavoring
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray two 12-well cupcake pans with PAM, or use cupcake liners; set aside.

Stir together white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well mixed. Pour in water, sour cream, vegetable oil, almond extract, and vanilla flavoring. Beat to combine. Add egg whites, and beat with an electric mixer on low until all ingredients are mixed, about four minutes.

Scoop the batter into each well of the cupcake pans, filling 2/3 full. And ice cream scoop works well for this. Bake until the tops are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes before turning out onto rack to cool completely.

Almond Butter Cream Frosting

3 c. confectioners’ sugar
1/3 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 t. clear vanilla flavoring
½ t. pure almond extract

2-3 T. whole milk

1-2 drops red food coloring

Beat together sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and beat at high-speed for five minutes, until light and fluffy, add more milk to thin, if necessary. Add food coloring and beat to combine. Use a star tip to pipe frosting in a swirl onto each cupcake. Sprinkle with pink sanding sugar.

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Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie

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St. Valentine’s Day has always meant chocolate and flowers to me. It’s also meant a cocktail and a really good steak dinner, but I digress. Although I won’t be celebrating, I will be noshing on a delicious dessert. This recipe comes from the charming 2007 film “Waitress.” It’s easy to prepare, absolutely delicious, and how romantic is the name? There are a variety of recipes for this pie on the Internet, this one is mine.

Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie

1 9” baked pie shell
114-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup water
1 4-serving package chocolate pudding mix (not instant)
1/4 t. espresso powder
1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate
2 cups heavy cream, stiffly whipped

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together condensed milk, water, pudding mix, and espresso powder. Add chocolate. Cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture has thickened.* Remove from heat, and with a hand mixer, beat until smooth and shiny, 1-2 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes, and then put in refrigerator to chill thoroughly, 45 minutes to an hour. Give it a stir and fold in whipped cream, until fully incorporated. Turn into prepared pie shell and chill until set, 4 to 6 hours. If you like, you can decorate the top by piping rosettes of stabilized whipped cream around the edge.

*We’re talking serious thickening here, like a heavy custard. It needs to go beyond the thickness of a pudding because remember, you’re going to be slicing this.

 

 

Chocolate Fondue for Two

If you’re thinking about ending your Valentine meal with anything other than chocolate, think again. Chocolate is the quintessential Valentine’s Day dessert, and this easy and delicious Chocolate Fondue for Two is the answer. It stirs together in minutes, can be made ahead, served quite elegantly with a glass of champagne, and you can get as creative as you like with the dippers. Nothing says I love you like this sinfully delicious dessert.

Chocolate Fondue for Two

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

2 T. butter

1 14-oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 T. Kahlúa

¼ t. espresso powder

 1 t. vanilla extract

In heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt chocolate chips and butter with sweetened condensed milk; stir in espresso powder. Cook and stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and Kahlúa.

Serve warm in your favorite fondue pot. Store leftovers, covered, in refrigerator.

Suggested Dippers:

Pound cake cubes, Amaretto cherries, orange sections, melons balls, pineapple chunks, strawberries, banana slices, apple wedges, Melissa’s red Muscato grapes, pear slices, and Plush Puffs marshmallows.

PRINT RECIPE

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