GRAVEYARD ICE CREAM PIE & GRAVEYARD CAKE: HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween! There are many recipes for Graveyard Ice Cream Pie and Graveyard Cake for Halloween, but I have my favorites. 

This first recipe for Graveyard Ice Cream Pie is adapted from Martha Stewart. She calls it "I Scream" Graveyard Pie.  I use PEEPS' Marshmallow Tombstones instead of the Milano Cookies and candy skulls Martha uses in the original recipe. Want to make this even more chocolatey? Make a Chocolate Cookie Crust instead of graham cracker crust. 

The second recipe is for Graveyard Cake, and the recipe is from Betty Crocker. It uses a cake mix, but if you're a purist, use your own favorite chocolate cake recipe. Once again, I use the PEEPS' Marshmallow Tombstones...and Ghosts. Gotta love PEEPS.

GRAVEYARD ICE CREAM PIE

Ingredients
16 graham crackers, broken into large pieces
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup roughly chopped chocolate flaky-crisp candy bars, such as Butterfinger "fun size" (about 8)
1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened
1 cup roughly chopped chocolate-coconut candy bars, such as Mounds "snack size" (about 8)
2 tablespoons chocolate chips, melted and cooled
20 chocolate wafers

Directions 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In food processor, process graham crackers until finely ground (you should have about 2 cups). With motor running, add butter in slow, steady stream and pulse until combined. Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and up side of a 9 1/2-inch pie plate. Bake until crust is dry and set, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in plate on a wire rack, 45 minutes.

In medium bowl, stir vanilla ice cream with wooden spoon until smooth. Fold in flaky-crisp candy bars. With small offset spatula, spread ice cream mixture evenly in crust. Freeze until firm, 1 hour 20 minutes.

Stir chocolate ice cream until smooth. Fold in coconut candy bars and spread evenly on top of vanilla ice cream layer. Freeze until firm, 1 hour.

In clean food processor, pulse wafers until finely ground (you should have about 1 1/4 cups). Spread crumbs on top of pie. With a knife, cut slits for "tombstones" and insert PEEPS Marshmallow Tombstones. 

GRAVEYARD CAKE

Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil’s food cake mix
Water, oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 container Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting
4 PEEPS® brand marshmallow ghosts
4 PEEPS® brand marshmallow tombstones
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (10 cookies)

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
Make cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool in pan on cooling rack until completely cooled, about 1 hour.
Spread chocolate frosting on top of cake; place marshmallows around edges of cake.
Sprinkle cake cookie crumbs to look like dirt.
Cut into 5 rows by 4 rows. 

 

BOSTON CREAM PIE: History and Recipes: National Boston Cream Pie Day!

Today is National Boston Cream Pie Day. A Boston Cream Pie is a round cake that is split and filled with a custard or cream filling and frosted with chocolate. Not really a pie--actually a cake, it's been around since 1855 or 1856 (two different sources with different dates).

According to Wikipedia, Boston Cream Pies were created by French Chef M. Sanzian at Boston's Parker House Hotel, opened in 1855. This pudding/cake combination comprises two layers of sponge cake filled with vanilla custard or crème pâtissière. The cake was topped with a chocolate glaze (such as ganache) and sometimes confectioner's sugar or a cherry. The cherry and sugar topping is rarely used any more.

The real question is why this is called a pie? It's a cake, after all -- two layers of yellow cake filled with custard and topped with chocolate frosting. Suggestions on why it's called pie are welcome. And here's an esoteric fact: The Boston cream pie is the official desert of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

This Retro Ad (3/29/68) from Jello-O Pudding has a quick and easy recipe for Boston Cream Pie. I really prefer making the cake, filling, and ganache from scratch. You know I'm a sucker for good chocolate which for me will make or break the taste of a good Boston Cream Pie. However, if you don't have time, I've posted the Jell-O Pudding Boston Cream Pie recipe below.

I. BOSTON CREAM PIE FROM SCRATCH

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pastry cream, recipe follows
Ganache, recipe follows

Pastry Cream Filling
2 cups milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Ganache
8 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream, boiling

Directions

Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add milk, oil, egg yolks, and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low to medium speed until combined. Beat additional 3 minutes on high speed and set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium to high speed until soft peaks form. Pour egg yolk mixture over egg white mixture and fold in. Gently pour batter into 9-inch greased pie pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan onto wire rack. Cool completely.

Pastry Cream Filling
In medium saucepan, heat milk and vanilla bean to boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off heat and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. In bowl, whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in remaining hot milk mixture, reserving empty saucepan.

Pour mixture through strainer back into saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from heat and stir in  butter. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing  plastic against surface to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. (Custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.)

Ganache
In medium bowl, pour boiling cream over chopped chocolate and stir until melted.

To assemble pie
Remove cake from pan. Cut cake in half horizontally. Place bottom layer on serving plate or board, and spread with pastry cream. Top with second cake layer. Pour chocolate ganache over and down sides of cake. Store in refrigerator.

II. Jell-O Pudding Boston Cream Pie

FUDGY-NUT BUNDT CAKE: Retro Ad with Recipe for National Nut Day!

Today is National Nut Day and what could be better than this delicious Fudgy-Nut Bundt Cake: A Retro Ad & Recipe from Betty Crocker c. 1974.  

"Very clever, this new Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Supreme Cake Mix. You can make it in layers, or bake it up in the round as our new Fudgy-Nut Bundt cake. Dedicated to you who like any cake, as long as it’s chocolate, this is deep, dark, fudgy heaven. Pass it around."

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL APPLES: National Apple Day!

Today is National Apple Day, and since it's so close to Halloween, I was thinking about Caramel Apples. Not just any caramel apple, though, but Chocolate Caramel Apples. You can buy Chocolate Caramel Apples from many different purveyors, but it's really easy to make your own. 

And, there are so many ways to dress up your Chocolate Caramel Apples  -- drizzle techniques or rolling in nuts or chopped candy bars or sea salt, sprinkles, mini-marshmallows, candy corn. Have a look at this Retro advertisement from Kraft for inspiration. For your chocolate, you can use milk, dark, or white chocolate or a mixture of all three. Experiment! Chocolate Caramel Apples are great to serve for Halloween!

Be sure and choose a firm round tart apple to go with your sweet toppings.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL APPLES

Ingredients:
4 ripe firm apples
4 wooden skewers
14 ounces soft caramel candy
2 tbsp water
10 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp shortening
2 cups chopped candy bars, nuts, coconut, sea salt, M&Ms, or ??

Preparation:
1. Line baking sheet with waxed paper and and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Wash and dry the apples carefully or dip in boiling water for under a minute to remove any wax. Cool. Remove stems, and stick the skewers firmly in stem ends.
3. Place unwrapped caramels and the water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir, then microwave for additional minute until completely melted and smooth (and liquidy)
4. Hold apple by skewer and dip in caramel, tilting bowl at an angle and rotating  apple to cover  completely with smooth, even layer. Set on wax paper. Repeat with remaining apples.
5. Refrigerate caramel-covered apples for 30 minutes to set.
6. Heat chocolate and shortening in  microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted and smooth.
7. Dip caramel-covered apple in chocolate. Spoon  chocolate over top to cover apple completely.
8. While chocolate is still wet, dip bottom half in chopped candy bars, nuts, sprinkles, mini-marshmallows, or seasalt (or whatever!) and roll until bottom half is covered. Place back on baking sheet and repeat with remaining apples.
9. Chill apples in refrigerator until completely set-45 minutes.