12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 4

Every year at Christmas, one of my former coworkers would give me a Mason jar filled with homemade chocolate covered cherries made by his wife.  She decorated the jar by attaching a round piece of Christmas fabric between the lid and the ring.  This added a touch of festivity to the delicious treat waiting inside.  I don't have her recipe, but I do have one that I shared four years ago.  If you want to make these, you need to plan ahead because the finished cherries need to sit five days before they're ready to eat.  

© Margaret's Morsels

National Cheesecake Day

In honor of National Cheesecake Day, here's the link to a Sour Cream Cherry Cheesecake recipe I posted last year.  This cheesecake tastes like the real deal, but it starts with a mix!

© Margaret's Morsels

A Perfect Pair

My husband loves cherries, but he loves them even better when they're paired with chocolate.  Fortunately, I have a cherry chocolate cake recipe that is much easier to prepare than the Chocolate Covered Cherries I made him for Valentine's Day.


Last year, a friend from grade school posted a picture of this cake on his facebook page.  I could tell from the picture my husband would love the cake so I asked for the recipe.  I made the cake for our anniversary and, since my husband liked it so much, made it for our anniversary again this year too.


The cake starts with a box of red velvet cake mix.  If you're not familiar with red velvet cake, it's a chocolate cake similar to devil's food cake.  However, red velvet uses less cocoa and gets its color from red food coloring.  It's usually baked in layers and frosted with cream cheese icing.


Prepare the cake mix following the directions on the package and bake in two greased and floured round cake pans.  When you bake a chocolate cake, dust the greased pans with cocoa instead of flour.  The cocoa blends in with the cake and doesn't leave a white residue.

The greased pans dusted with cocoa.

I prefer a thicker cake so I use two 8-inch pans.  You can use 9-inch pans, but the cake will be wider and thinner.


After the cake is completely cool, mix the cherry pie filling with the almond extract.  Half of the pie filling mixture is combined with 1 cup Cool Whip making a beautiful pale pink filling.  Spread the filling on the bottom cake layer to within 1 1/2-inches of the edge.  Don't spread it all the way to the edge or it will ooze out when you add the second layer.

The second cake layer goes on top of the filling.  The remaining cherries, sans Cool Whip, are put on the top cake layer to within 1 1/2-inches of the edge.  This keeps the cherries from falling off, either on their own or when the cake is cut.  It also leaves room for you to decorate the edge with Cool Whip before serving, if desired.  


Once the cake is assembled, put it in a plastic cake keeper or on a cake plate with a lid and store it in the refrigerator.  If you cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil, the cherries will get messed up.  I bake the cake a day ahead of time so the cake and filling are cold when it's served.


When you're ready to serve the cake, you can decorate the cake edges with the remaining Cool Whip.  Not only does this garnish the cake, it helps keep the cherries in place.  If you want to dress the cake up even more, garnish each piece with sliced almonds when you serve the cake.


The red cake and pink filling make a beautiful combination.  The cake is especially pretty for a baby or bridal shower, but it also makes a lovely anniversary cake.  Don't wait for a special occasion to bake it; it's a good every day cake, especially when you love the combination of cherries and chocolate.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

8 to 12 Servings

1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. red velvet cake mix (plus ingredients to make the cake)

1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed

Prepare, bake and cool cake as directed on the package for two 8 or 9-inch pans.  Combine cherry pie filling and almond extract in a small bowl; stir.  Place bottom cake layer on a serving plate.  Combine 1 cup Cool Whip with 1/2 of the pie filling mixture; stir and spread on bottom layer. Place top cake layer on filling.  Use remaining portion of pie filling on top layer to within 1 1/2-inches of edge.  Cover and refrigerate until serving time.  If desired, decorate the edges with Cool Whip before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

© Margaret's Morsels

Let Them Eat (Cheese) Cake

My husband isn't a fan of birthday cake.  In all the years we've been together, I only remember him asking for cake once.  He requested an ice cream cake made with white cake, vanilla ice cream and vanilla frosting.


When his birthday comes around -- like it did a few days ago -- he usually asks for cherry pie.  This year he requested a cherry dessert, but not cherry pie.  He asked for cherry cheesecake instead.


I have several cheesecake recipes, but my husband's favorite is Sour Cream Cherry Cheesecake.  Not only is it delicious, it starts with a mix so it's much faster -- and more economical -- to prepare than cheesecake made from scratch.


I'm bad about not writing down where I find a recipe.  I always think I'll remember, but my memory isn't what it used to be, especially with four boxes of untried recipes.  I'm trying to break this bad habit and indicated on the recipe it came from Sandra Lee.  Unfortunately, I don't remember if it came from her magazine, website, TV show or one of her books.  I made some changes to the method so the recipe reflects those changes.


If you've never heard of Sandra Lee, she's the author of a series of cookbooks called Semi-Homemade and hosts "Semi-Homemade Cooking" on the Food Network.  The semi-homemade philosophy is to use 70% ready made ingredients and 30% fresh ingredients to create a dish that tastes homemade.  This cheesecake recipe is a great example of semi-homemade cooking.


The recipe starts with a box of homestyle no bake cheesecake mix.  The mix includes graham cracker crumbs and a powdered cheesecake filling. Start by combining the graham cracker crumbs with melted butter -- I use margarine -- and sugar.  To keep from dirtying another bowl, I combine the ingredients in the spring-form pan and then press the mixture on the bottom of the pan.

If you don't have a spring-form pan, you can use a pie plate or casserole dish, but make sure it's deep enough to hold the mixture.  I don't grease the pan because the melted butter is enough to keep the crust from sticking.


If you were following the directions on the box, the crust would be finished at this stage.  However, the recipe says to bake the crust for about 10 minutes.  Baking the crust makes the cheesecake taste homemade.

The baked crust.

After the crust cools in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, it's time to mix up the filling.  The directions on the box only call for milk.  The semi-homemade recipe reduces the amount of milk and adds sour cream.  Most cheesecake recipes have sour cream either in the filling or on top so the addition gives the finished cheesecake a taste of authenticity.  I use low-fat sour cream, but you can use regular.  Don't use fat-free, though, because the cheesecake won't get firm enough to cut.

Put the filling on top of the crust.  Even though pie filling will go on top, the cheesecake is prettier if the filling is smooth.  The easiest way to do this is with an offset spatula.  An offset spatula has a bend in the blade which makes it ideal for smoothing cake batter or icing.

The offset spatula is the one on the bottom.

Take the spatula and spread the filling around the cheesecake, turning the pan in a circle as you work.  The filling will end up looking something like this:

The cheesecake goes in the refrigerator for several hours -- I leave it in there overnight -- to get firm.  I put the can of pie filling in the refrigerator at the same time.  That way the pie filling is cold when it's put on the cheesecake.


I use lite pie filling which isn't as flavorful as regular pie filling.  If you want to doctor up lite cherry pie filling, put it in a bowl and stir in 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and 1 tablespoon sugar.  This adds an extra burst of flavor.


Sandra Lee suggests slicing the cheesecake and spooning the pie filling over each slice.  I like to put the pie filling on top of the cheesecake a couple of hours before it's served.  If you use a spring-form pan, don't put the pie filling all the way to the edge of the pan.  If you do, the pie filling will slide off when you remove the collar.  It's best to put the filling to within 1/2-inch of the edge.


If you don't like cherries, you can substitute other flavors of pie filling or leave the cheesecake plain.  It's delicious either way.  It's good year round and is especially refreshing in the hot summer months.  It also makes a good substitute for birthday cake, but make sure you don't put candles on the top!

Sour Cream Cherry Cheesecake

8 Servings

1 (11.2 oz.) pkg. homestyle no bake cheesecake mix

3/4 stick butter, melted

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/3 cups cold milk

1/3 cup sour cream

1 (20 oz.) can cherry pie filling

Stir the crust mix with melted butter and sugar in a 9-inch spring-form pan until crumbs are moistened.  Press crumb mixture onto bottom of the pan. Bake at 350° until crust is set and golden brown around edges, about 10 minutes.  Pat down crust.  Refrigerate crust for 15 minutes or until cooled completely.

Combine cheesecake filling mix, milk and sour cream in a large bowl.  Beat for 2 minutes or until smooth.  Pour cheesecake filling mixture over crust. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight to get firm.  A couple of hours before serving, spread the pie filling over the cheesecake.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator.   

© Margaret's Morsels

Sweets for Your Valentine

I love giving gifts from the kitchen.  Unlike Christmas, I only have one recipient on my list for Valentine's Day:  my husband.


A few years ago, I made my husband a batch of Chocolate Covered Cherries for Valentine's Day.  He loved them so I'm making them for him again this year.  If you want to make them for your Valentine, you'll need to get started because they need to be made several days in advance.  The recipe makes approximately 5 dozen, but you can halve the recipe.


The cherries need to be thoroughly drained.  I drain them in a colander for an hour before placing them on a double layer of paper towels.  Make sure to put a piece of waxed paper under the towels.  If you don't, you'll be cleaning stains off the counter.  Let the cherries sit on the paper towels an hour and then dry each cherry individually.

The drained and dried cherries.

While the cherries drain on the paper towels, I make a fondant with sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and powdered sugar.  The recipe calls for 4 1/2 to 5 cups of powdered sugar.  Start with 4 1/2 cups and add more if it's needed.  You can mix the fondant with a spoon until it's too thick to stir.  At that point, you'll have to knead the remaining powdered sugar in with your hands.  Fondant dries out easily so make sure to cover the bowl with a towel when you're not using it.

Partially mixed fondant.

Once the cherries are completely dry and the fondant made, you're ready to wrap the cherries with the fondant.  It's imperative the cherries are completely dry before adding the fondant.  Wet cherries plus fondant equals a sticky mess!


There's two ways to put the fondant on the cherries.  One, you can pinch off some fondant and wrap it around the cherries.

Two, you can roll the fondant on a cutting board with a fondant rolling pin.

Fondant rolling pin.

You don't need to sprinkle the cutting board, rolling pin or fondant with anything before it's rolled.  I prefer rolling the fondant in small batches and cutting pieces to wrap around the cherries.

A small piece of rolled fondant.

Either way, make sure to cover the entire cherry with fondant.  If you don't have enough fondant on the cherry, add some more.  If there's too much fondant on the cherry, remove the excess.  Once the fondant is on the cherry, gently roll the cherry between your palms like you would when shaping a meatball or cookie.  This makes the fondant smoother.

A smooth fondant covered cherry.

Put the wrapped cherry, stem side up, on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.  Once all the cherries are wrapped, put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the fondant to get firm.



While the cherries are in the refrigerator, melt the chocolate coating.  I use a 1 1/2-quart crock-pot to melt the coating.  The crock-pot keeps the temperature consistent so I don't have to remelt the coating.  Like any other chocolate, the coating retains its shape until it's stirred.  Once the chocolate coating is melted and smooth, you're ready to dip the cherries.


Holding onto the stem, dip one cherry at a time in the melted chocolate. This is easy to do when the pot is full of chocolate.  When the chocolate level gets low, dip one side of the cherry into the chocolate at an angle. Lift the cherry up slightly and dip the other side into the chocolate the same way.  Hold the stem and gently spin the cherry in the pot to remove the excess chocolate.  Since this is the first coating, it's ok if the entire cherry isn't covered in chocolate.  Put the cherries back on the waxed paper lined cookie sheet and put them in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.

The first coating of chocolate.

Once the chocolate coating is hard, dip the cherries into the chocolate coating again.  You may find using a spoon the easiest way to cover the cherries with the remaining chocolate.  This is the final coating so make sure the entire cherry is completely covered with chocolate.  Once again, hold the stem and spin the cherry to remove the excess coating.  Put the cherries on a clean piece of waxed paper on a cookie sheet.  Cover the pan loosely with wax paper and put the pan in a cool place overnight.


The next day, remove any excess dried coating from the cherries.  The easiest way to do this is with a table knife.  Using the dull side of the knife, run the blade around the coating, scraping off the excess chocolate.  Put the cherries back on the waxed paper lined cookie sheet and cover loosely with waxed paper.

Before the excess coating is removed.

After the excess coating is removed.

Let the cherries sit in a cool place for five more days.  An amazing thing happens during this time.  The fondant softens and liquefies making a sticky, tasty, gooey center.

Notice how gooey the fondant is after five days.

I like to think outside the "heart shaped" box when I package the cherries. I like to put the cherries in a martini or wine glass or a champagne flute.   Over the years, I've found Valentine themed glasses that I use, but plain glasses are fine too.

Left to Right:  Valentine's martini glass, plain martini glass,

Valentine's wine glass, plain champagne flute.

If you don't want to use a glass, you can put the cherries in paper candy cups and arrange them in a container.  You could always keep it simple and just stack the candy in a bowl.


You may have noticed I didn't say this recipe was easy.  It is the most time consuming recipe in my recipe box.  That's why I don't make Chocolate Covered Cherries except for Valentine's Day every few years.  It is truly a labor of love for the one I love.  

Chocolate Covered Cherries 

5 Dozen

2 (10 oz.) jars maraschino cherries with stems, drained

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

4 tsp. light corn syrup

4 1/2 to 5 cups powdered sugar

2 (16 oz.) pkg. chocolate candy coating

Drain cherries thoroughly.  If necessary, dry each cherry with a paper towel. 

In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk and corn syrup; blend well. Add powdered sugar gradually, stirring until mixture forms a stiff dough. When mixture is too stiff to stir, knead in the remaining powdered sugar with your hands.  Wrap a small amount of fondant around each cherry to cover completely.  Refrigerate 30 minutes or until fondant is firm.

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Melt candy coating.  Holding the stem, dip chilled cherries into candy coating.  Place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet; refrigerate until coating is hard, about 30 minutes.

Dip chilled candies into melted coating again, making sure to coat completely.  Place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet; cover loosely with waxed paper.  Let stand several days in a cool place to allow fondant to liquefy.  DO NOT REFRIGERATE.

© Margaret's Morsels