Chocolate Pudding Cake

When I was growing up, there was about a 9 year period where I didn't have a mother in the home.  A couple times a week my dad and I would go to my grandma's house for dinner.  Those are the meals that have stayed with me for 30 years and sometimes I try to duplicate them.  Our favorite dessert was Chocolate Pudding Cake.  It was a pudding/sauce on the bottom and chocolate cake on the top.  The cake was a different consistency than a regular cake though.  Tonight I decided to finally make it.  I had to borrow some baking powder from a neighbor, but I got it made.  I didn't know if anyone would like it, but thankfully it was a hit with the whole family!

Ingredients:

Pudding/sauce
2/3 c sugar
2 c water
1/2 t salt

Cake
1 c sifted flour
1/4 c sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/4 c shortening
1/2 c milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium saucepan, mix the pudding/sauce ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  While waiting for the sugar/water mixture to come to a boil, mix together the cake ingredients.  Grease an 8x8 glass pan.  When sugar/water mixture has come to a boil, pour into the bottom of the glass pan.  Drop cake batter by spoonfuls on top of the liquid.  The whole top does not have to be covered with cake batter.  Cook for 45 minutes.  When serving, soon out the cake and top with the sauce from the bottom of the pan.  You may serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, but it is tasty on it's own also.

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse

My favorite dessert of all time is chocolate mousse.  I have tried to find a good chocolate mousse at a restaurant for the past 6 years or so.  Nothing has been what I was looking for.  My pudding with cool whip recipe is a good substitute, but lately I've wanted the rich, thick, creamy chocolate mousse that I remember from restaurants when I was growing up.  So I have done some research and found a recipe that I think will be good.  I'm going to try it this weekend and I'll update the review after.

Ingredients


8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons butter (no substitutes)
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups whipping cream, whipped

Directions

1.In a microwave or double boiler, heat chocolate, 1/4 cup water and butter until the chocolate and butter are melted. If you use a microwave, melt in intervals and stir after each minute.  Cool for 10 minutes. In a small heavy saucepan, whisk egg yolks, sugar and remaining water. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees F, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate mixture. Set saucepan in ice and stir until cooled, about 5-10 minutes. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Easy Instant Chocolate Mousse

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix

milk

1 tub cool whip topping (thawed)

1 Hershey's bar

Mix pudding and milk as instructed on package direction. Let set in refrigerator.  Add half the tub of cool whip adn mix well.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Spread remaining cool whip over the top of pudding mixture.  Finely grate part of the Hershey's bar over the top.  Serve.

Mint Majesty Brownie

A simple way to dress up a box of brownies!
Make as directed. Add about 1/2 - 1 tsp Mint extract to the batter. Mix well. Bake as directed. Cool for 10 minutes and then dollop a spoonful of chocolate frosting on the top and allow it to ooze/melt. Top with mint white chocolate chips. Yum!